


Sometimes It's the Best That You Can Do

by Assenyo



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/F, F/M, Gen, Slight FF7 Remake Spoilers, Swearing, it might get dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:29:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 35,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23729083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Assenyo/pseuds/Assenyo
Summary: Edited for posterity: This takes place in an AU not far from the ending of FF7 with some retelling of certain events that took place during the story and our heroes trying to move on after Meteorfall. There's going to be worlds intersecting and characters meeting but these are one shots taking place in the same world. Chronologically they might not (read: probably won't) be in order. STILL VALID: I forgot I remembered how much I love flavor text at the beginning of chapters.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart
Comments: 18
Kudos: 73





	1. The Payment

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work in progress. I'm going to see how long I can go before I trip up and have to retcon myself. Also chapter titles mean nothing. Or Something. I don't know.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm not going to cry. I've cried all the tears away." - Tifa Lockhart

In a low, shaky whisper, she looked at the clothing in her hands. "They took everything from me, you know. Twice in fact. First time it was my father and my entire hometown. Second time it was my friends, my bar, and the entire sector I called home. But not this fucking time. I won't let their aborrent creation take you from me, too."

Tifa knelt over the wash basin and stared at her hands. They were raw and damaged; the last couple hours of laundry had done more to them it seemed than all the years of training and fighting monsters.

It didn't matter how hard she scrubbed, no matter how powerful the soap, or how many times she'd done it, she swore she could still see traces of blood deep in the fibers on the pink dress she held in her hands. But yet she had to get rid of it all. Her friend was clinging to life and she felt maybe - just maybe - if she could get rid of all the blood it'd get rid of Aerith's condition too. She'd wake up in the same clothes like nothing had ever happened and they could continue on their journey.

The jacket was salvageable. The color of it hid the stains and she couldn't bear to throw it away anyways. Her sewing skills were passable and she could sew up the tears as best she could. But the dress? That was another story.

A-ha! She could buy her a new dress, identical to the old one! But she didn't know where the nearest tailor was. She could make a new dress for her identical to the old one! But she'd never sewn a dress before. She could buy a pattern and learn learn how to sew! But she'd need the right fabric. She didn't know how to buy fabric. Maybe she could make the fabric and dye it herself! She'd have to find cotton. She could grow the cotton! But she'd have to learn how to grow cotton. And turn it into fabric. And make dye. For a crazy and fleeting moment, it actually sounded plausible.

Sewing just wasn't a thing in her life. Martial arts was her first love. Home economics wasn't taught in Nibelheim because it was ingrained into the being of every girl raised there. Learn to cook. Learn to clean. Be a good wife. A homemaker. Not Tifa though. That first time she took a swing at that boy in class that grabbed her hair and felt her knuckles connect it must have ignited a spark in her. Her path in life forked right then in that instant as she wouldn't grow up and be someone to be married off and coast through life on a husband's salary but something much much more. Fighter. Survivor. Revolutionary. Hero. Zangan had taught her well.

"Hey, me and the brat are heading out to grab some more supplies. Red's in the hallway, and that weird fucking cat robot is somewhere around here. We'll be back in a couple of hours or so." Cid lit a cigarette and took a shallow draw on it, exchanging a low-key middle finger with Yuffie in the next room. Tifa snapped out of her daze looked up and stared at him blankly. "Ah shit, I forgot." Cid rubbed out the cigarette on the doorframe, remembering Tifa's rule about not smoking anywhere near Aerith. Nevermind there was two closed doors separating them, Tifa said secondhand smoke would hamper the recovery effort and Cid knew that in her current emotional state she'd not be in any mood to argue semantics. "You could at least get some fucking sleep while were gone at least."

"And a shower. It's been 3 days." Red XIII's voice sounded from the hall as he sniffed the air. If you couldn't argue semantics with Tifa, then you certainly couldn't argue with Red's nose.

Tifa nodded emptily. "Yeah, you're right. I'll get right on it after I finish up here."

Cid and Yuffie left, the lock of the door catching on the frame before a swift knock with the butt of Cid's spear fixed it into position. Barret, Cloud, and Vincent had gone on ahead looking for leads and information with Vincent being the one to inform her of this; Cloud always had terrible coping skills and when you're the one to out-talk Barret on something you know the situation is far from normal. She went into the room where her friend lay on the bed, chest slowly rising and falling if you fixed your eye and concentrated hard enough. She held her red jacket in her hand, gripping it so hard she'd probably pop the head off off a Malbolo, yet her other hand gently and graciously held Aerith's.

"You're going to be okay, you hear me?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. She was telling Aerith this as indisputable fact but deep down she was trying to convince herself of it.

"I........I never showed you. My scar. The one he left me with five years ago. I took a swing at him with his own sword and he just ripped the blade from my hands. It all happened so quick and.......I nearly died. I thought I died but as my vision darkened....but........I lived. I lived! And what he did to you was bad but........You're stronger than me. I beat it. You can beat it! YOU HAVE TO BEAT IT! " Tears streamed down her face and she buried her head into Aerith's jacket to muffle her crying. Despite all the times Tifa had washed it, she could still smell the hint of flowers. "We were supposed to go shopping, remember? For things for the bar.....Cloud was going to be our pack chocobo." A small smile formed on her lips as memories flowed into her from time spent in Midgar.

"You're right. She's strong. Quite possibly stronger than all of us, perhaps." Red XIII had crept into the room and took up a post behind the chair. "But for right now, you need to let her fight some more. You carried her out of the city, healed and dressed her wounds, and have stood watch over her but she's now between this world and the Lifestream. You can't help her there, but she's strong and she'll find her way back. These things take time."  
Tifa drew in a deep breath and wiped her tears away. "I know, but that doesn't make any of this easier."

_________________________________________________________________

"Administrator Reeve, Sir. Are you busy?" Reeve's secretary waved her arm through the opening in the door. In one deft motion he closed the feed from Cait Sith on his computer and stowed his earpiece in his desk drawer. He cleared his throat and straightened his tie before sitting up at his desk.

"No, not at all. Please, come in. Is there an issue?" He raised his coffee mug to his lips in a vain attempt to seem natural which wasn't acknowledged.

"Not an important one sir but we had a company card flagged with a possible fraudulent charge. Your card, sir." Reeve's eyebrow raised slightly before returning to normal.

"We're Shinra. I'm sure it's not a huge deal unless we were buying the entire country of Wutai on it. We have a fund for instances like these because it's a lot easier just to let some of these things fall through the cracks rather than employ people to comb through the endless paperwork of these things."

"Um..........it was a pink dress, sir. Very specific measurements too." She held the file in her hands and sheepishly stared at the carpet. "I did some digging and they paid quadruple the price for it from a tailor in the sector 5 slums. The charge came through as a rush order and there's also another charge minutes later to have it overnight shipped to a different continent. I was going to do a charge-back on the entire thing but since it came through on your card, I need your permission, sir." She set the file and credit card on his desk and slid it across to him.

Reeve smiled and took another sip of coffee. "I'll handle it. Slush fund, remember?"

"But sir!"

He waved his hand at her to shut down her protest. "Ever since the president died do you feel like things have changed around here?"

"Sir?"

"I mean here we sit in this vaulted tower of ours with Rufus at the helm and the world falling into disarray. As the Director of Urban Development, it's my job to look out for all the citizens of Midgar. Not just the ones on top of the plate." His secretary slowly blinked and nodded her head. "We're the biggest company in the world with such vast resources and the world is in a turbulent time. If by chance someone pays too much money for something as trivial as a dress to a business in the slums, does that money not help that tailor put food on his table? And then that money will go further into the community of the slum? What of the lady receiving that dress and the happiness she will feel? We're easing burdens to the less fortunate and that's why we're going to just let it go. We'll cover the charge and move on." His secretary smiled. With the president gone, Reeve could finally stretch out a bit.

"Right, sir."

"Also, you've been putting in a lot of extra hours lately with all the recent events. Why not take the rest of the day off? And not up to the rec center upstairs. Go home, read a book, take in a show. My treat." He slid the credit card back across the desk to her.

"Thank you, sir. That's quite generous of you."

Reeve nodded in agreement. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take care of this." He placed the folder in the top drawer of his desk while his secretary bowed and took her leave. Raising his mug to his lips he rotated around in his chair to finish his coffee.  
He closed his eyes and thought to himself. "I know we've wronged you. But if this helps ease your mind, then it's a step in the right direction. You'll find him, hunt him, take him out and maybe then we can begin to heal this world."


	2. Observer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I think what I'm trying to say is, you go there, you aren't coming back. Not the same person, anyways." - Research notes of Gast Faremis, vol. 3, pg. 122

Aerith could feel herself drifting. 

She'd actually fought Sephiroth and done her best. Well, "fought" here would be a fairly generous term because it all lasted less than half a minute, and it was as best a lowly flower merchant from the slums could do against the greatest soldier that ever lived. At the last possible moment she had managed to dodge his stab and throw the most concentrated blast of fire she could. So concentrated even he couldn't swat it away. She heard him grunt from the pain and the last thing she smelled before it all went dark was burnt flesh. 

The last thing she saw was his terrible grin and steely gaze looking right into her eyes. Into her very being.

The last thing she felt was the dull pain from her left shoulder, his sword pinning her to the ground. She could even note it's sharpness - so sharp she didn't even feel it pierce her at first. When instinct kicked in and she tried to move it occured to her what had happened. 

The last thing she thought about was her friends. Would they all be safe? What was she thinking!? Of course they'd be safe. They were among the strongest people she'd ever known. Her prayer had been heard and she knew that Sephiroth would be no match for them when the final showdown occurred. Then it all faded to black.

She gently drifted down from the darkness as the abyss parted ways to a dull grey. The grey softened to a white before she touched down on a pure white abyss which radiated warmth in all directions. She turned and saw a most peculiar sight - a gazebo of all things. It was close enough she could make out a small bench on it with a large, ornate chair next to it. A woman's head was visible above the back of the chair, her brown hair cascading down. The woman sat gazing out over the infinite white. Aerith felt a pull on her soul, as if time itself would stand still until she decided to go to there.

Aerith slowly made her way over and climbed the few stairs. She went to circle around to the front of the chair to see the woman but her face was covered by a veil; the woman raised her hand and pointed to the bench without saying a word. She couldn't explain why, but this woman gave off a soothing aura she'd only felt one other time - a time she couldn't quite place at the moment because she hadn't really begun to process what was going on. She shifted her dress and sat down as properly as she always had and gazed out.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The woman spoke. It was warm and inviting. 

Aerith blinked. She just saw raw emptiness. 

"Mmm." The woman raised her hand and with a flick of her wrist had the sea of white nothing break away. The mountains of Nibelheim materialized in the distance. The country of Wutai. The plains outside Kalm. The beaches of Costa Del Sol, the Corel desert, the islands of Mideel, the vast oceans that joined the world together. She could see it all in it's nature's splendor. The only thing that stuck out to her was the northern crater wasn't there. The great glacier had reclaimed it all without so much as a dent. 

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The woman remarked. 

Aerith's eyes welled up. Living her whole life up to this point beneath the unforgiving steel of Midgar and she'd never seen anything as beautiful as this. She thought even if she lived another thousand years and a thousand lifetimes after that, no earthly sight would even manage to come close. "Yes, but.....it's not real, is it?" 

"You always were good at asking questions." She mused. "But you are correct....Well, in a sense. It's not real. Not yet anyways. It's the possibility that you managed to create by summoning Holy."

Aerith relaxed with a smile. She'd done it. She'd succeeded. Everything would be okay.

Another flick of the wrist and the world zoomed in towards Midgar. The city lay in ruins but a small settlement outside it pulsed with life. The world zoomed in closer.

This time she saw a bar. She saw all her friends. She saw Tifa behind the bar, Cid and Barret were at a table arm wrestling, Yuffie was playing darts......Red XIII was curled up in the corner while Marlene scratched his head much to his chagrin. Cloud sat at the bar enjoying a drink. Vincent leaned on the railing outside with a woman she'd never seen but she could surmise must be Lucrecia because he held her hand like she'd never leave his side again. 

Everyone was smiling and laughing. Everything was okay. 

"It's missing something. Don't you agree?" 

Aerith's attention snapped back. "What do you mean? They're all okay. That's what I wanted. For everything to be okay."

The woman stood up from the chair and leaned on the railing. "It's missing you." 

Aerith looked down at her hands. "It's okay. I'll be fine."

"Of course you'll be fine. You always were going to be fine in the end. But remember there's two futures - the one where you made a decision and the one where you decided not to. This is no different." 

Confusion and a tinge of unease set in. What was she getting at? 

"What I'm saying is, what you saw was a future filled with hope. But I've been watching you. I've seen the joy you've brought and instilled in countless people. Your kindness and generosity reached and spread throughout the slums. You're still destined for greater things." She turned from the railing and walked to Aerith who was still staring at her hands contemplating what she'd seen. Placing her hand on Aerith's chin she raised her head up. 

".......Mom!" Tears began to flow as she leapt from the bench and grabbed ahold of Ifalna. Squeezing her tight as though she was making up for the twenty years since the last time she was able. "Mom.......I......." She couldn't finish her sentence before she started bawling again.

Ifalna cradled her head. "It's okay, sweetie." She wiped the tears from her daughters eyes. "Your story isn't over." Standing her upright she hugged her daughter and whispered in her ear. "This isn't goodbye. This is goodbye for now. Okay?" 

Aerith couldn't muster up words and had to settle for choking back more tears and nodding. 

Her mother placed her hand on her cheek and with a flash, Aerith felt a jolt like an entire reactor pulsing through her. Her consciousness shot back through the endlessness of white, grey and black.

Tifa entered the room with lunch. Just a bagel today because her appetite still hadn't returned and two cups of tea. For the last week she'd pour two cups even though she'd only drink one. Just in case her guest ever actually arrived. Hands full she closed the door with her hip to stop the draft from getting in. She began to make her way over to her usual spot next to the bed but something caught her eye.

A twitch?

It was a twitch. Or was it? She slept maybe four hours a night if she was lucky and it was propped up in an uncomfortable wooden chair that she should be thankful enough didn't give her splinters. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. No. There'd been too much cruelty. Even the universe has to have it's limits with cruelty, doesn't it?

Another twitch. Her arm definitely moved. Tifa wasn't hallucinating. 

Suddenly a burst and Aerith jerked awake in bed. The force of her sitting up caused beads of sweat to fall from her head on to the blanket as her eyes went wide focusing ahead of her. 

The next sound was a tray and two cups crashing to the ground. "Aerith?!"

Aerith didn't acknowledge Tifa at first; the sound of her own her heavy breathing had almost completely drowned her out. Her eyesight returned to normal and hearing stabilized before her senses moved on to feeling the bandages tugging on her skin. Slowly turning her head to face the voice her eyes found the reddish-brown ones gaping wide at her. 

"T....Tifa?.....Hnnnggh......" She collapsed back on the bed. Guess the impact of returning from the space between worlds to the living side is a bit much to handle. A few seconds later and her breathing had normalized too and she stared at the cieling.

"Oh my gods Aerith! You're back!" Tifa grabbed her tight. "I.....I knew you'd pull through. I just knew it!"

"Tifa....."

"I was so worried!"

"Tifa." 

Tifa glanced at the spilled tea on the floor. "Shit, sorry. I'll go make you another cup. You must be thirsty."

"Tifa!"

"What?"

"Not so hard........I'm still pretty banged up."

"Right, sorry." Tifa gathered herself and lowered Aerith back onto the bed. 

"And you might want to go take a shower."


	3. Highwind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I've had enough blonde haired assholes for one lifetime." - Barret Wallace

"We're not fucking calling it that."

"What? Why the hell not?!"

Cid didn't even break stride striking a match and lighting his cigarette. "Because. We're not fucking calling it that."

"It's a badass name! It'll make those Shinra fuckers run and hide when they know we're coming!" Barret rapped his gun on the wall to punctuate his excitement.

Vincent made no comment and continued to stare out the the window on the bridge, eyes scanning the horizon. Red XIII strolled onto the main deck and joined him. "No. It's a terrible name."

"Aw come on! Not you too. I happen to like it. Sounds badass." 

"You've mentioned. However, naming something that flies through the air "Avalanche's Fury" doesn't make any sense. Avalanches go down. You do realize this?" Red XIII peered up at Barret hoping his brain would be able to put it all together.

Barret stammered. "Yeah.....Well......Why the hell do we have to call it "Highwind"? Don't you think that's egotistical of that jackass?" He pointed his arm in the direction of the helm where Cid poured through blueprints and manuals, occasionally pausing to dust off the ash that had fallen from his cigarette. 

"It makes far more sense for an airship to be called the "Highwind" than "Avalanche's Fury". Trust me. It makes sense." Red's eye inspected Barret's arm to at least make sure the safety was on with all the gesticulating he was doing.

Cid arched his neck around to look at them both. "Red's right. Besides -" He exhaled smoke "I was the one who fucking designed and built it."

Barret and Red were both taken aback by this revelation. This backwoods country bumpkin? Seriously? "You built this?" Saying this in unison very well might have been the first thing they actually agreed upon.

"Yeah, I did. Why are you idiots looking at me like that? You don't think the best fucking pilot this world has ever seen and a guy who dreamed his entire life of going into space didn't dream up and build the most badass airship known to man?"

"I uh......"

"ALSO, I just stole the thing. Right out from under their noses. And the crew? Immediately swore allegiance to me. And you didn't think it seemed odd that I knew EXACTLY how to fucking pilot it and I knew EXACTLY where everything was?!"

"I mean, I knew you mentioned you used to work for Shinra n' all but....."

"Yeah, I fucking did. Been there, done that, even got the fucking shirt to prove it." He smacked the Shinra logo on his jacket, near invisible from the years of grease, and wear. "SO! Now that we've settled that - It's name is Highwind. End. Of. Fucking. Story."

"Awright, awright.....But the next -" Barret started to interject but was cut off by Cid again.

"Fucking okay. How about the NEXT fucking time we awaken ancient guardians of the planet, Red here and I will get captured by Shinra and when our asses are about to be publicly executed on live television, YOU can evade capture and sneak off and steal the airship you designed and built. Then after that, you can name it whatever the fuck you want. Deal?"

"That seems like an even worse idea than his name." Red's voice didn't so much drip with sarcasm as it embodied it fully. 

Barret grumbled under his breath as he turned away and stomped his foot "Fuckin' jackass....."

Vincent finally spoke up. "If you're all finished, I think Shinra wants their airship back." He pointed his hand to the horizon where sweeper units and Shinra troop transports had begun to mass.

"Finally. I was wondering when they'd show up. Barret, you and the boys want to go buy us some time? Wait. Let me try that again. You want to go show them "Avalanche's Fury?""

"Heh. " Barret chuckled. "You're still a jackass." He switched the safety off his arm and the group left the bridge and headed out.

Cid closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the smell of grease and soot drafting up from the engine room and let his fingers dance across the controls. "It's alright, Darlin'. Daddy's home. And you know what? You're still just as beautiful as the day I dreamed you. Now show me what you can do."


	4. The Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The opportunity of a lifetime.

Hello. As you make your way to my residence, I do believe it's time we actually spoke. 

They gave me the name of "Calamity of the Heavens". But that just isn't accurate. It belies my true intent that they didn't see - the connotations of this make me seem like the apocalypse. 

The truth of the matter is, I exist to prove a point. I am the strongest being and by that declare my word to be law and my will to be the absolute truth.

You see, my mother was hunger and my father was power. By these two ideas I was given form and purpose; that I deserve to exist above all others. 

However, through my starry migration I've actually arrived at another point: Between all the galaxies, stars, planets, and continents across the eons, you're the most beautiful creature I've seen. 

Now, don't be afraid (not that you ever are). From the moment you took up the arms of your fallen comrade - no, before that even - you and I were destined to be together. You share my vision - that through strength and might you deserve to exist. Don't you see? The legions of monsters that have barred your path you've cast aside without so much as an afterthought? You've proven your superiority. You don't mourn the dead. They do not deserve your tears or thoughts - you were stronger than them and by cutting them down you proved your dominion in this world. 

Each and every life you taken from beast to man was an offering to me. Every bit of delicious flesh you've rended, every bone snapped and ground to dust, every ligament slashed, all the blood you've spilled at my altar. They were all to satiate my appetite. And I savored every one.

That man of science that thought himself so astute and brilliant had two major downfalls. He thought himself so high up the up the chain that he never stopped to see just how high the chain actually goes. His other problem, of course, was insulting me by calling you a "failure" - And we both saw how well that went for him.

If it makes you feel better at the end, I allowed him to glimpse just for a moment how shortsighted he was. The end that you delivered him. 

You're exquisite. I don't want you to feel uneasy knowing that you've slain my fragments. I felt every one of their glorious deaths in full. I did not recoil from them and drank in their final moments like a fine wine. The way you ended them was so clean and so simple - cold steel against flesh. A regular masterpiece.

As for the usurper running around claiming lineage of me, pay him no mind. He's blind to the truth. You'll cut him down too and take your rightful place in his stead. He wants something he can never have - this bond that you and I share. 

Don't entertain the Ancient. She speaks in nothing but lies and deceit. 

She'll tell you that I'm some great evil. 

She's wrong.

I consumed nearly every single one of their kind as a testament that I was stronger and therefore deserved to exist. And the best their entire race could muster was they put me into slumber that I have since awaked from.  
You too have slain countless foes before you by the very same proof.

There was no malicious intent in my actions (or yours) because Strength is what I am (and what you are). When any one of your enemies has made a feeble attempt to harm you so far, did you get mad at their muscles or their mind? Of course you didn't. That's just absurd. 

But for now, I leave you with a choice. Throughout your travels you have grown so strong and grand; but what I offer you is something real. Not these flimsy bonds you think you've formed with your companions, the cheap and thin fleeting riches of the world, or even the steel of your sword. There is only weakness in these things. I offer you something much more real. A taste of real power. The power that spans galaxies and stars. My power. A power that fills and satiates that hunger inside you. A power that you'll never go hungry again.

So will you take it? The power that I have cultivated over eons? Of every planet I've conquered? Of Every race, every being, every singular cell that's fallen to me?

You are a beautiful and magnificent creature. I've spent millennia here and countless more before it drifting through the cosmos and have never encountered one as you. If I have to wait a thousand more before another one like you comes across, then I shall. 

I cannot wait to hear your answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Exposure to Jenova cells can cause nausea, headaches, fever, sore throat, and hallucinations. Please consult a doctor (Not that one) if symptoms last longer than a few hours.


	5. Checking In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "No, I'm not so old that I don't know how to use a fucking phone. Just go get me some a pencil and some goddamn paper you brat." - Cid Highwind

Dear Shera: 

I'm writing this because the fucking PHS is broken and with how much running around we're doing it's impossible to tell when I'll get another time to write. And you know me, I've never been good with all that "feelings" bullshit. But I ain't gonna lie, this ragtag group of idiots is really starting to grow on me. 

  
Let's see - a former SOLDIER, a bartender, flower merchant, a leader of some underground anti-Shinra group, some kind of red beast, a robotic cat, a bratty girl that thinks she's ninja, and a guy that thinks he's a goddamn vampire. They really must have been through some shit together before I met 'em.

Guess Cloud (the SOLDIER) and Tifa (the bartender) go way back. Pretty sure those two got something for each other but Aerith (the flower girl) just kinda fell in between 'em. Those three have a whole bunch of shit they're gonna need to work out eventually. I really hope this all clears up before that and I ain't around for it. 

  
Barret is the loud gun-armed buffoon and used to live in Corel - was in charge of some anti-Shinra operation in Midgar. Insane of him to go up against the entire company like that. Said that plate dropping we saw on the news a couple months back was in retaliation for the shit they were pulling. Felt bad calling him a moron over it because then he goes and tells me lost a bunch of good friends in that. Sucks, but Shinra doesn't care, and don't I know it.

  
That cat thing weirds me out. Like it's constantly watching me. 

Red XIII is the red one (Fuck, I don't know how to explain him. Cat? Dog? Hellbeast?). No other real way to describe him. He lives in Cosmo Canyon and for the life of me I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like him in my life, even flying all over like I have. Got enough scars on him that he's been around though. Can talk and pretty smart. Probably couldn't design his own airship or build a plane from scratch but we all can't be that great.

They picked up the brat after she tried to rob 'em in the forest outside Junon (They're way fucking nicer than I would have about that). Pretty sure she's from Wutai. Slippery little shit too. Would probably swipe the clothes clean off you and you wouldn't even notice until she was halfway out of town. She's obnoxious too. Reminds me a lot of myself at that age. I think she's just putting up a front. Hates her dad something fierce too - Told her I'd have a word with him if she wanted but she didn't seem too keen on it. Doesn't even want to see him. 

  
The vampire's name is Vincent, and I know that shit ain't real outside of movies and books but claims he slept in a coffin for years and has a monster inside of him and all this other dark, brooding bullshit. Normally I'd laugh and tell him to lighten the fuck up but if you got something hostile that needs dealing with, he sure as shit can bring the heat. Don't think I've seen him miss a shot with his gun yet so I ain't about to get on his bad side. 

It's been a hell of a crazy ride. Hell, just the other week we're swinging by Junon and there's just this giant ass bird sitting on top of a reactor outside of town a ways. Biggest goddamn one I ever saw. And these Shinra assholes (Shit, I'm really starting to sound like Barret) are on their way to screw with the thing so we get in there and fought 'em off and they even brought in a Grand Horn but at the end of the day, we took 'em all out. And the week before that I stopped a damn train from wiping out North Corel! Afterwards I let Barret take the credit for it. Seemed like he sorta needed a tally in the win column. I guess next week they're cooking up some grand plan to go break into some Shinra underwater reactor and nab some special chunk of materia. Crazy bastards.

  
I ain't good with words but I'm still wanting to get into space - with how this group's been going and everything that's happened the last few weeks it wouldn't shock me if I was up there within the month. But traveling around down here got me thinking that maybe I still have more in the tank. This planet needs saving.

\- Cid

  
P.S. I never would have believed it if I didn't see it for myself but we took down one of those giant Weapon monsters you probably heard about on the news. That insane son of a bitch Cloud (The blonde spiky haired one) decides to go insult the thing before we pick him up in Mideel - and I guess I'm rubbing off on him because he just can't let shit go, so he has me chasing this thing all over the place with the Highwind. And we're fighting, and we're flying, and we're fighting, and we track the thing all the way out by Cosmo Canyon of all places where this damn nutjob climbs down off the ship and smashes it's head clean off! And to top it all off, says he's going to make a sword out of it or some shit and sure enough, next day he's got a brand fucking new sword. Gotta admit, if I didn't have the Highwind back, I'd probably be a little jealous and want a new toy like that myself.

  
P.P.S. Tell that old man I got his phone call before mine took a dump. Mentioned something about having something for me, but I couldn't make it out. 


	6. Full Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything catches up eventually.

Tifa sat on the edge of the table and put her shirt back on, the compression sleeve snagging on her ring. Looks like the years of fighting had started to catch up. She'd gradually changed her style as of late to compensate; the flashy and finesse of the past were beginning to leave - in it's place was blunt simplicity. It disgusted her. 

The doctor knocked and entered the room waving a large envelope. "Your X-rays and MRI's are done. Let's see what it looks like, shall we?"

Tifa nodded and turned herself to the lighted wall as he clipped the documents up. 

"Mhmmmm.....Uh-huh.....Let's see here....." The doctor was lost in pictures in front of him.

"Excuse me, but....." Tifa did her best to get his attention without breaking his concentration. "Just be straight me, how bad is it?"

The doctor calmly came out of his trance. "Well, in all my years I've found there's many different levels of "bad", but I don't think we're going to have to amputate." The doctor exaggerated a grin at Tifa.

This joke probably worked forty years ago when he started his practice and plenty of times since then. But it died here.

Tifa bit her lip and glared at the doctor, unamused. If he wasn't going to tell her, she'd make it uncomfortable and force it out of him. 

"Right, sorry. Doctor's humor. It's not actually the end of the world, however I haven't seen this level of wear and tear in someone your age. What did you say you did again for a living?"

"-Bartender." Tifa spat out the moment the doctor had finished speaking. 

"A bartender? Really? And no history of skeletal or muscular degeneration in your family?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Of course she didn't know and any record of that would have been lost a long time ago. 

"Well, you have some options here. We could opt for surgery and there's a very high chance you'd get full range and strength back, however there's no guarantees. The other option is you continue to rehab and wear the compression sleeve and the scar tissue should level the damage out. I'd expect you'd maintain at least 90% of the range and strength in your arm."

Tifa took a deep breath and rested her head in her hands. "But no chance of going back to full strength?". She held that breath as though it was one of the last link to that time in her life when they were chasing Sephiroth all over the planet.

"Certainly not without surgery. Never say never, but in my honest opinion - Not going to happen. You know what it is? You kids and abusing that blasted cure materia. Some short quick fix so you can all get back to your lives. I've been saying it for years, it'll never match up to rehabbing and rest."

Tifa bit her lip again hard, half because she wanted to throttle the man for that comment and half because the sting of being lectured went deep. "Alright well........Thanks doctor. I'll go think it over and we'll take it from there?"

"Yes, no terrible rush. Talk to the receptionist out front and she'll get you squared away with your appointment scheduling and your bill." He gently bowed and took his leave.

Tifa exited the exam room and made her way down the hall to the front. "Guess this is how it is now, isn't it?" She mumbled to herself, flexing her arm and wrist. A tinge of depression washed over her. If she couldn't go at full strength then what good was she? She's Tifa Fucking Lockhart. She saved the world. Not 90% of it. 

"MOMMYYY!!!!!" A chestnut haired girl rushed the door as Tifa opened it, crashing hard into her leg and knocking herself to the floor. Unfazed, the girl jumped back to her feet. "You're done! Aunt Aerith said we could all go for ice cream now!" Tifa reached down and smiled, hoisting the girl up into her arms.

"Well, did she say she's paying too?" Tifa shot a look at Aerith who glanced up from a crossword.

Aerith smiled in kind. "Of course aunt Aerith is paying. Alright you two, time to leave."

A small girl with long, blonde hair laid on her stomach, lost in a coloring book. She perked up and gathered up her crayons before standing up and dusting off her dress and walking over to Aerith climbing up on to the seat next to her. "Straberry."

Aerith put the crossword away and looked down next to her. "Naomi, what did you say?"

The girl's face went as pink as her mother's dress. "U-uh...Straberry please!"

"Much better." Aerith stood up and took the girl by the hand and walked over to the receptionist's desk by Tifa, trying to juggle her clutch and daughter who seemed to have her arms in a death grip around her neck. "Here, I'll take Jess for a bit.". She motioned and Tifa leaned over so Aerith could hold her for a bit.

"Your total comes to 750 gil. Would that be cash or card?"

Tifa rummaged through and slid a card over to the woman. "Card please. And I don't want to schedule anything today if that's alright? I need to check my schedule when I get home and make sure it's clear before I commit to anything."

"Not a problem, ma'am." The receptionist punched in some numbers on her computer before reaching in her drawer and pulling out two lollipops and slid them across the table with Tifa's card.

"Huh. All I ever got was stickers at the doctors when I was little. Guess I'm moving up in the world." Tifa mused.

The receptionist rolled her eyes. "They're for the kids. Best behaved girls I've seen in here all week."

Aerith and Tifa smiled. They exited the office and walked a couple blocks down to the park where Jess had spotted the ice cream vendor on the way in.

"YAYYYYY ICE CREAMM!!!!!" Jess yelled as she zipped around Tifa's legs. Maybe giving her sugar wouldn't be the best idea, But she was going to play good mom today.

Aerith paid for the ice cream and they walked over to the playground. Despite all the bustle of the area, because it was a weekday and school was in meant the girls had free reign of their favorite cat slide. Tifa did a quick visual scan of the area before Aerith and her sat down on the closest bench and watched their daughters burn off all their pent up energy. 

"You're a terrible liar, you know that." Aerith broke the silence between them.

"Huh?" 

"You lied to that nice receptionist." Aerith teased. "You're not going to go check your schedule."

Tifa sighed. "No, I'm not. It's not that bad, really."

"Then tell me, how *NOT* bad is it?" Aerith turned and looked at Tifa.

".........90%......." Tifa kicked at the dirt.

"90%? Well, that's good." Aerith turned her attention back towards the kids.

No, 90% wasn't good. Even in school that was an A-. She's Tifa Lockheart. A+++++ Fucking material. "No, it's -" Tifa felt frustration start to stir within her.

"I mean, good for everyone else. Makes it a little more fair for everyone else, right? Especially in the Wall Market arena." Aerith smiled again. Goddamn her. Always so blasted cheery about everything.

"Y-you know about that?! That disguise is nearly perfect!" Tifa nearly choked on her ice cream.

"Keyword being "nearly". You don't think I'd recognize that body and that stance? Anyways, always bet on the winner. Why do you think I said I'd pay?" Dammit. One step ahead of her. Again.

"Look, I still have my other arm and both my legs. And they're still 100%." Tifa shot back at Aerith before returning a smile.

"So you're going to get surgery then?"

"I don't think so. I've been cut open enough for one lifetime. Besides, it's not like I really NEED it all anymore, right?" Tifa looked for even a shred of assurance.

"You and me both, and on both accounts." Aerith remarked. "But you'll feel better. I know this has been nagging you for awhile. Gotta keep up appearances so Jess knows how untouchable her mother is."

"I think she knows. Did I tell you I she got into the box in the back of the closet the other day? She found that old pair of leather gloves. The ones with the metal knuckles you bought for me? Came sprinting out into the kitchen wearing them and throwing punches like she was going to fight everyone on the block."

"Aauuugh that sounds so adorable! Please tell me you got pictures of that!"

Tifa shook her head. "Okay fine, it WAS adorable. But seeing her like that it just....." She sighed. "I don't know. So much of my life was fighting. And we fought and we fought and we saved the world so people shouldn't have to fight again but seeing her like that, wildly throwing punches at the air and running around all happy it just made me feel like, I don't know......." Her voice trailed off.

"Like what?" 

"Like I MISS it. That adrenaline rush of flying around the world on an airship with you and everyone and just going from place to place saving the world and fighting." It felt terrible to say out loud.

Aerith was taken aback for a moment. "Well yeah but, it's over now. We won."

"I know that. It's been five years and it's still hard to let go of some of it."

"And look at us. We're mothers now. We can still be those people we were then and be the people we are now. We have things to teach and lessons to pass on."

"You're right but.....how do I do that?" Tifa hung her head in her hands again. Jess waved at them before running up the slide.

Aerith patted her on the back. "You're doing great. She's the splitting image of you. How's her d-" Tifa cut her off before she could continue. 

"Don't worry. He's fine. The arrangement is alternating weeks. And if you're going to be back in the business of being nosy, what about you?" Tifa chided back.

Aerith brushed off the comment, giggled, and reached into her dress pocket. She pulled out a letter. "He was supposed to come home Monday night but instead I got this in the mail. Said he's going to be gone two more weeks but found some more work out towards Gongaga. Those government contracts out there are a bit hard to pass up." She opened the letter and held her finger to a spot on the lower half.

Tifa whistled. "That's.......quite a few zeroes. For just two more weeks of work? That's.....wow. Sure not going to see anything like that selling flowers or working locally. You planning on moving up to one of those new developments on the Sector 8 plate with that?"

Aerith shook her head before the happiness slowly drained from her voice. "No, nothing like that. The house is already paid but you know how he is. Has to keep himself busy or he'll go crazy." She watched Naomi jump from tire to tire on the obstacle course. "It's just......the gil is nice don't get me wrong but......we can always make more gil. I'd rather have him around because Naomi needs her dad in her life more. He hasn't missed a birthday or important event but it breaks me when he has to extend his work days. Then he comes home like a superhero and spoils her and she's just over the moon. Then he has to leave again, and she's waving at him as he leaves with not even a single tear from her. Then the cycle repeats and it's back to square one again."

"Is she.........how's her hearing?"

"Same as mine I think. She can't make it out all the way but says she hears a song. Like a low hum. Then she starts humming along with it and I'm not even sure she realizes it."

"That's......good though, right?"

Aerith smiled and nodded."I told her it wasn't anything to be scared of. Did have a minor incident on Thursday where she nearly set fire to the bushes while she was outside playing."

"Don't you think she's a little young to be letting her use materia, even under supervision?" 

"That's the weird thing. No materia. Just POOF - right from her hands. Even has me stumped."

Tifa was shocked at her matter-of-fact attitude. "Okay, even for you, you're taking this WAY too well. I know Hojo's long dead but as long as there's people in the world, someone's going to see that and decide they want it for themselves. You of all people should know that."

"Oh, I know. And if they come, I also know someone that would easily put a stop to it." Aerith pondered for a moment and did some quick math. "Well, 97.5% of a someone."

"Ugh, fuck you. I'll give the surgery some thought, okay?." Aerith laughed. Tifa watched Naomi make it to the end of the tires before jumping off and tumbling in the dirt and springing right back up. "She's just like her father."

"She idolizes him. I just wish he was around more to see that." 

"Don't worry. I'm sure he knows." Tifa reached over and gently squeezed Aerith's hand.

Tifa's eyes scanned the groups of parents and children arriving and leaving the park. One small group of three people stuck out to her on the far end of the lot. They'd been standing there since shortly after Aerith and her arrived. Pedestrian traffic was busy enough and they were far enough away she couldn't make out the faces but what she could make out was telling enough. Two men, one woman. Spiky red hair, black ponytail, and neck length "I'd like to speak to the manager" haircut. All in suits. Black ponytail carrying a briefcase. Anxiety grew within her as she turned to Aerith.

"You know, it's getting on. Let's head back to your place for a bit. I'll cook us dinner."


	7. Day Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "No leniency out here. I can't allow it." - Vincent Valentine, to Tseng

Vincent perched on an outcropping overlooking the forests on the far side of the Nibelheim mountains, peering down at the encampment through the scope of his sniper. "........Seventeen, eighteen.............twenty-one.......twenty-three.....and twenty-four." He whispered to himself. The group had picked up a new member about a week or so prior. He'd kept his distance but figured they must have picked them up somewhere outside the desert because that was the last time he was able to get an accurate headcount. Some sat around a large bonfire kneeling and bowing. Some sat on the edge and read. At least four or five were in the tents and three of them patrolled clockwise in a large swath around the border their tents had set up. Those would have to be the first to go.

"JUST GO ALREADY."

"No. No need to draw attention."

"THIS BORES ME." 

He'd first gotten word of them from Tseng. With Shinra under new management and the Turks looking to reinforce their ranks, it didn't come as a terrible shock to him that they might look him up. Normally he'd have them negotiate with Cerberus, but the work they were passing his way was far more personal.

Ever since they'd removed Jenova and Sephiroth from existence, word had spread and with it a small vein of people popped up calling themselves "Followers of Jenova". Initially they seemed harmless at first - just a group of nutcases that'd live in the woods or vagabonds that would travel from town to town extolling the virtues of what they believed, followed by some recruiting. The locals would just think they were weird and tolerate them for a week or two before crops and things started turning up missing, at which point the locals would let them know in no uncertain terms they were not welcome and run them out of town. And every now and then someone would abandon their life and join them. The gradual escalation would end then move to kidnappings, and as of three weeks ago, a cold-blooded sacrifice in the man's own home. 

"I COULD HAVE TORN THEM ALL LIMB FROM LIMB TWICE OVER BY NOW."

His job was, in no uncertain terms, an exterminator. And seeing the evil that Jenova had wrought on the planet before, during and after his slumber, saying yes wasn't exactly hard. Stop this here and now.   
The one pain he still felt was Lucrecia. Still entombed in the cave in her crystal prison. What would she think of him? She'd smile if she could for him saving the planet but this? This was too much. She probably wouldn't forgive him, but he was a necessary evil. 

"GET ON WITH IT ALREADY."

He unhostered Cerberus and checked the barrels. Fully loaded and a handful of bullets as backup. No need to make this any messier than it needs to be, he thinks.

"YES. THERE IS."

Vincent leapt from the cliff, eyeing his landing point some seventy feet down. A pair of red wings sprouted from his back to slow his fall. The sound of branches breaking in the canopy alerted the patrol and they turned in the direction of the noise.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Molten lead sizzled through their chests and dropped them to the ground. Vincent hastened his movements toward the camp; they'd know something was coming. It'd be the last thing they'd ever see.

"LEAVE SOME FOR ME." 

"Fifteen.........Eighteen.........Twenty......" He crouched in the bushes on the edge of the camp and counted. The dim glow of torches approaching his position made him stop counting. He fired off another volley of bullets, dropping four more. The remaining cultists ran toward the bonfire or hid in their tents. 

"Mother be praised! Save us from this demon!" Last words. All of them

Bullets flew through the air, dropping bodies left and right. A couple stragglers in the tent. 

"Twenty-three." Vincent waited a moment for the air to clear and listened. Nothing but the crackling of the fire. No need to clean up, the wolves in the area would handle that part. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the smell of smoke and copper. "Lucrecia.....I......." 

"YOU LET ONE GO. WEAKLING."

Vincent opened his eyes again. He scanned the camp twice over. Twenty plus the three on the outside. Shit. A witness. Maybe let them go and they can spread the word of what happens when you delve too far into the darkness? No. Can't afford that luxury. He catches a purple glint near some bushes where the light from the fire begins to dim.

"Materia..?" His info was solid. The cultists were noted to not use or carry materia. They believed it was an affront to their belief that Jenova was the true power. Next to the orb was a small canvas bag and a set of footprints leading through the bushes into the forest. He studied them for a moment - too small to be a man's and their stride wasn't uniform. Probably injured already and wasn't going to be able to make it too far before he'd be able to catch up. 

"THE HUNT CONTINUES." 

He made his way through the bushes and followed the footprints until the darkness under the moon hid them from his sight. No matter, in their haste to leave they left a trail of broken branches, bent over foliage, and the occasional disturbed area where they must have fallen. Even a novice tracker wouldn't be able to lose this trail.

He followed the trail for about fifteen minutes before he could hear them in the distance. He had to acknowledge their ability to get out in front of him. Probably had some prior training with this level of endurance - then again, adrenaline was a crazy thing.

More branches breaking. The sound of water splashing. He made it to a clearing where he saw movement no more than a few dozen yards ahead of him. 

"MY TURN."

Shit. No. Not now. 

Wings again coalesced from his back and his hand formed into a purple claw as he felt his body leaping toward the fleeing shadow, closing the gap in a single bound. 

No. NO. NO! His left arm hadn't transformed yet. There's still time. He wove a sleep spell with his free hand. The claw reached out toward the person and grasped their shoulder.

And then Darkness. Silence. Sleep. 

"COWARD. I'LL HAVE MY FEAST YET."


	8. Beta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What do you mean my password can't be "password"? It's not like anyone can hack this fucking piece of shit anyways" - Reno

>WELCOME TO SHINRANET v2.043! THE LOCAL TIME/DATE IS 15:33:24/ 29/6/12. PLEASE CONSULT PATCH NOTES FOR RECENT UPDATES AND FIXES.

USERNAME: Turks_Reno

PASSWORD: ********

>I'M SORRY, INVALID USER NAME OR PASSWORD. PLEASE TRY AGAIN.

USERNAME: Turks_Reno

PASSWORD: ********

>WELCOME USER TURKS_RENO! YOU HAVE 43 UNREAD EMAILS AND 3 NEW ALERTS SINCE YOUR LAST LOGIN. WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO TO YOUR MAILBOX?

R> no, run search

> PLEASE ENTER SEARCH QUERY

R> wheres rude

> 3285 SEARCH RESULTS FOUND FOR "WHERES RUDE". WOULD YOU LIKE TO NARROW YOUR SEARCH?

R> wheres Rude right now

> USER TURKS_RUDE IS CURRENTLY ON THE 63RD FLOOR. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO SEND HIM A NOTIFICATION?

R> no

> ANY OTHER SEARCH REQUESTS?

R> rude sunglasses

> 52046 RESULTS FOUND FOR "RUDE SUNGLASSES". WOULD YOU LIKE TO NARROW YOUR SEARCH?

R> where does Rude get his sunglasses

> 3 RESULTS FOUND FOR "WHERE DOES RUDE GET HIS SUNGLASSES". WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO DISPLAY THE RESULTS?

R> yes

> ERROR: ACCESS DENIED. USER TURKS_RENO IS NOT AUTHORIZED TO VIEW THIS PAGE. PLEASE CONTACT ADMINISTRATOR OR USER TURKS_RUDE.

R> are you serious 

> I'M SORRY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE SEARCH PARA---

R> stupid fucking machine 

> ERROR: PARENTAL CONTROL SETTINGS IN EFFECT. CANNOT DISPLAY "STUPID FUCKING MACHINE". PLEASE CONTACT ADMIN---.

R> are Rude and Tifa dating

> 0 RESULTS FOUND FOR "ARE RUDE AND TIFA DATING"

R> Batteries for shock baton

> 45 RESULTS FOUND. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SORT?

R> price descending

> CHEAPEST PRICE FOR BATTERIES IS 1200 GIL. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO PLACE AN ORDER?

R> Yes

> ERROR: INSUFFICIENT FUNDS.

R> Can you use lightning materia as a battery

> 1 ARTICLE FOUND. "LIGHTNING MATERIA AND YOU: MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS". AUTHOR: RASPBERRY, J. LAST ACCESSED 1604 DAYS AGO. WOULD YOU LIKE TO VIEW THIS DOCUMENT?

R> add to bookmarks

> BOOKMARK ADDED. HOW ELSE MAY I ASSIST YOU?

R> are the weapons still dead

> LAST WEAPON WAS CONFIRMED DEAD 1724 DAYS AGO.

R> they're history

> DISPLAYING LATEST RESULTS FROM SEARCH HISTORY: [WHERE IS CLOUD STRIFE] [ARE CLOUD AND AERITH DATING] [PICTURES OF CLOUDS] [BLONDE SPIKY HAIRED JERK] [HAIR CARE PRODUCTS] [TURKS FASHION] [UNBUTTONED SHIRTS CHEAP] [BEST TURK RENO] [BEST TURK EVER]

> WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO CONTINUE SHOWING RESULTS?

R> .....no

R> when is Elena's birthday

> USER TURKS_ELENA's BIRTHDAY IS JULY 14TH. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO PUT A REMINDER ON YOUR CALENDAR?

R> what does Elena like 

> ERROR: ACCESS DENIED. USER TURKS_RENO IS NOT AUTHORIZED TO VIEW THIS PAGE. PLEASE CON------.

R> Loveless ticket availability

> TICKETS FOR LOVELESS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE LOCAL BOX OFFICE. PLEASE INQUIRE AT THE BOX OFFICE FOR DETAILS.

R> logout

> THANK YOU USER TURKS_RENO FOR USING SHINRANET v.2.043. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY.


	9. Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because some of the damage you can't see.

With a single swipe of her arm, she cleared the dust off the workbench. Setting her bottle down, she unrolled a set of blueprints and retrieving a grease-soaked box labeled "electronics" from a shelf, pulled up a stool and got to work.

Light peered in through a small window no larger than the newspaper she had taped up to keep peering eyes out. Dust hung heavy in the air.

"Let's see....." she talked to herself. "Six small incendiaries. One pound plastic. Remote trigger. Fingerprint sensor to arm it..... and a mercury tilt switch, just in case they try to mess with it. Where's that thermostat......." She rummaged through a couple more boxes under the table before pulling one out and held it to the light. It'd work.

To the untrained eye this probably all looked so complex, like you'd have to spend year and years in college to understand it. But not to her. Components were organs, wires were the veins, batteries the heart - and she was the best surgeon she knew. She did stop short of calling these her "babies", though.

Her hands worked all over the device, crimping wires and tightening screws. Then double checking her work. Then double checking her double checking. After about an hour her fingers began to wear and she dropped the screwdriver on the table as her hand seized up.

"Fuck!" She slammed her hand into the table and popped her fingers. Some numbness yet remained. She leaned back and slid a hand in her pocket, producing a small pill bottle with the original prescription scribbled out. She popped one in her mouth and swallowed it whole, washing it down with some water. The name escaped her, but that was irrelevant. The back-alley pharmacists were more than happy to take her gil and the pills did the trick whenever she had flareups like these.

She stared at the pill bottle some more, and it gave her another idea. "Heh. A bomb full of smaller bombs. Something to consider."

She looked at her creation on the table and decided it still needed a personal touch. She scanned the shelves above the bench but it wasn't where she left it. Fuck. He'd been down here messing around, hadn't he?

Only then her eyes caught it. Top shelf, across the basement. She got to her feet and hobbled over to the shelf before stretching on her tiptoe to grab the can of red paint.

Normally it would be "tiptoes" had they not had to amputate her right leg below the knee. Lasted an entire hour on the wooden prosthetic they gave her before she kitbashed some scrap and parts from old claw lifter. She wasn't even angry about it. Hell, she shouldn't be alive. Nobody would have believed they pulled her from the Sector 7 rubble, let alone alive with the injuries she sustained, and that would have been before the thing even fell. She got lucky twice. First time was surviving that, and second she was in such bad shape that nobody could positively identify her at the time. But through sheer grit she managed to survive the collapse, albeit with some damage. The kind of damage you don't heal with materia.

Maybe she didn't survive entirely. Part of her definitely didn't. The part that was all smiles and would drag her friends topside to go eat at her parents. The part that was all cheery and would flirt with that nice blonde mercenary that Tifa had found.

The part that did survive pulled herself out of her bed eight months later and clad in some rags she'd found on the edge of a local encampment, she shambled up topside to her parents house to find the windows boarded up and soldiers ransacking it. She never saw or heard from either of her parents again after that - not even a peep on the underground information channels. Two things were clear: Shinra had a way of making people disappear and they were going to pay, even if she had to reduce them all to rubble. And blow up the rubble that remained.

She made her way over to the bench and sat back down. Taking the brush from the can she steadied her hands and painted "The Ghost of Avalanche sends her regards" on the side of the canister. Always did have a flair for the dramatic.

She hears the door knob slowly turn and looks over, grabbing the screwdriver in anticipation ready to shank whoever walked the door. It opens to the one familiar face she knows.

"Biggs. You moved my paint can."

"Had to touch up something for the shop owner. What are you up to?"

She stands between him and her creation on the table. "Same old."

"Look, I hated them as much as you do, but times have changed. They're under new management. Maybe Rufus isn't a total jerk and Reeve's heading up urban planning and development yet. My point is: You can't keep doing this."

"Nobody's getting hurt. Just destroying their property - you know, the only thing they actually care about? Letting them know I haven't forgotten."

"Maybe you should. It's been six years."

"MAYBE I can't fucking forget. MAYBE I still see them when I sleep. The sound of helicopters and machine gun fire. They wiped them all out!" her voice raised. "And you want me to get over it? Fuck them! They'll pay!"

Biggs grabbed at her wrist. "What would Tifa and Barret think of you right now?! You're fighting a fight that's over and done with. They both moved on! Wedge moved on! World's a different place now!"

"Good for them." She stared a hole right through him.

"You know she even na-" Biggs stopped himself, shaking his head and sighing. No convincing her otherwise. "You know what? Fuck it. Fine." He pushed his finger into her chest. "I know I can't talk you out of this, so best I can do then is make sure you don't die." He opened his jacket and flashed the handle of his pistol. Modified Shinra Model S-26. All the logos removed and replaced with something more palatable.

Jessie smirked. "Just try and keep up. And don't get in my way."


	10. Frying Pan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "For someone like you? Too easy. You'll be back before lunch." - Leslie Kyle, interim Wall Market mafia boss

Yuffie shifted her shuriken, bracing herself against a tree and slowly lowered herself to sit. The glow of the fire barely reached her but it would suffice.

"Ow-ow-ow......" She set a book on the ground and lifted the robe, poking gently at her ribs. A maroon splotch trailed off down toward her waist. Ribs hadn't healed yet - maybe one or two cracked. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, closing her eyes. "This still beats the hell out of having to deal with dad...."

"Sister Kay, are you well?" A man's voice grabbed her attention. She looked up at the cloaked figure has he made his way toward her. "Are you having trouble with your devotions? Perhaps pondering the wisdom of Mother?" 

Yuffie's demeanor immediately changed. "Ah! Brother! Uh...How kind of you to check on my progress! No, no trouble here. I'm merely trying to...uh...fathom the greatness and omnipotence of Mother! It's quite taxing to even think about!" _Whew. Good save._

"Ah yes! Her omnipotence! Such a great and worthy topic to dwell on! I won't intrude on your personal communion with Her. Mother be praised." He bowed and turned to leave.

"Mother be praised." Yuffie smiled. She waited for him to turn away before nearly throwing up in her mouth. She reached down to pick up the book and opened to a page she'd marked in the middle of the book.

Yuffie felt disgusted with herself. Cultists were one thing, but Jenova cultists? The very thing she helped strike down years prior? She didn't feel good about it, but this was better by a country mile from the usual groups of bandits she'd end up falling in with when shit hit the fan. The arc was always the same - she'd put on a facade about being a damsel in distress, some greasy roughneck bandits would take her in, she'd lay low for a few days, one would try to make a pass, she'd threaten to castrate him (or she actually would, depending on if you believed the rumors), and then it was time to disappear again. Aside from the occasional pack of wolves to scare off, the cultists were too busy trying to maintain a relationship with a long dead evil to take much interest in her. They'd read from the same book that she had (which was written in a language that nobody could understand, and she had a feeling they actually couldn't either but they were just that nuts they believed they could), and would go deep into the night dancing and chanting around the bonfire saying they'd received visions and had been granted a new name after being "reborn in Mother's embrace".

To quote a former ally of hers, it was quite possibly the dumbest fucking thing she'd ever seen. And that was including when she heard about Barret's idea for naming the Highwind.

Despite all that, she wasn't worried in the slightest. She was there at the end, she'd seen the end, and these clowns? They weren't the end. 

She opened the book of gibberish to give the impression that she was busy. Her bookmarks were two photos she'd kept with her - a group shot of her and her traveling companions from when they saved the world (one look at the expressions on half the faces would tell you it was a forced photo made possibly by hers truly) and a photo Aerith had mailed her of herself, Tifa, and their daughters.

Resting her chin on her hand, she stared at the photo. She never had siblings or a mother figure in her life, and those two were the closest thing she had to either. After they saved the world, Tifa even offered her one-third partnership in the new bar. A hard offer to pass up, but she decided it didn't play well to her strengths (Aerith and Tifa had vetoed her idea of robbing overly drunk and disorderly customers) so it was back to her old life of thievery. Not content with just materia anymore, she'd set her sights on some bigger prizes - the last one she just happened to bite off a little more than she could chew. 

To an untrained thief, robbing the head of the Gold Saucer would be complete suicide. The intelligence was good as usual, but she hadn't anticipated that Dio would have brought in that much extra security. The man owned the key to the Temple of the Ancients and was willing to easily part with it, but this? This was just trash in comparison. Trash with a high price tag, anyways. The infiltration was simple enough - playing a dumb tourist - but after she grabbed it, the alarms sounded and she needed to book it. Made it out of the battle square and to the cable car before the hired help caught up. She dispatched the one without too much trouble but the other was able to get a good shot in on her before she threw some powder in his eyes and leapt onto the top of the cable car and rode it to freedom. Freedom is a relative term, because for the next two days she had to hide and dodge a manhunt before she came across this latest menagerie. 

But hey, that's life. Sometimes things go your way, and sometimes you end up running for your life and join a death cult.

She looked again at the photo. Putting down roots, smiles, a growing business, close friends, children running around. It looked so domestic and wholesome.....the very thought bored her to tears.

No time to think about that stuff now though. Gotta think about what's next. _Couple more days with these fools and I should be close enough to Nibelheim that I can slip out and head toward the coast. Get a tattoo, maybe shave my head to throw off any curious people. Wait, no. Kyrie would kill me for that. Maybe just swipe a really cool looking hat instead. Stowaway on a ship and make my way back to Midgar and regroup for a bit. Not Wutai. Definitely not Wutai. Couldn't sell the treasure there anyways._

Sure, it resembled a materia orb - same size and shape. But it was a peculiar hue of red.....not quite a summon. She'd tried socketing it but nothing came from it. No fiery hellbeasts, no scantily clad ice goddesses, no armored dragons, no water snakes, no eldritch horrors, not even a damn moogle. There was something with it she couldn't quite put her finger on when she attached it to her weapon. Like it was speaking. Otherworldly whispers and static. 

BANG! BANG! BANG! Shots echoed in the darkness. Maybe a few hundred yards away, if that. 

Yuffie's eyes widened. _Shit. Too far out for that to be locals._ Her eyes darted around. _Could they have pursued her this far out? Fuck. No time to think about that. Time to move. Now._

She hastily grabbed her bag and cinched the top, scrambling through some nearby bushes. Her ribs stung with every stride but at least there was enough of a moon out to illuminate a path through the woods.

BANG! BANG! 

_Fuck. That felt like the same distance away._ Adrenaline started to really kick in now and she was in a full blown sprint. She turned her head back and glanced toward the camp to see the commotion. Big mistake. Her foot snagged some of the undergrowth and sent her careening into the dirt. She tumbled about a dozen feet across the ground, rocks and thorns cutting into her shins. Thankfully her momentum was enough to allow her to spring back to her feet and keep running. _Ouch fuck that hurt-_

More gunfire from the direction of the camp. _fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.......Just keep moving. Keep running. You've got a head start._ She clutched at her ribs. That last fall didn't help her case any. 

She kept moving. Weaving around trees and through brush. A quick pause at a stream to grab a drink and back on the move. Over some rocks, down a semi-forgotten trail that the forest had begun to reclaim. _Keep moving._ About fifteen minutes of silence. She stopped in a small clearing to catch her breath. Then the sound of tree branches snapping and she felt an unnatural pressure bearing down on her. Who or whatever was out there was heading in her direction. Fast. _Move dammit!_

Her legs seized up. _FUCK._ She glanced back again and saw what she could only process as darkness given a physical form. Her body unfroze for a moment which was all she needed to keep running again. 

Too late. She made it a few steps before she felt everything going dark. Silent. Black. 

__________________________________________________________________

  
Yuffie's eyes slowly opened and she groaned. Her robe was gone. She was lying on a bed roll with her ribs taped up. The warmth of the campfire radiating a few feet away. 

Across the fire she could make out a crimson figure holding her shuriken up to the light, whetstone in their free hand inspecting the weapon over. Wiping it off with a cloth, they set it down and gazed across the fire through her. 

"Yuffie. What have you been up to?" The unmistakable chill of that voice. It was Vincent. Yuffie groaned again and closed her eyes.

Maybe dealing with her dad wasn't that bad after all. 


	11. Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why do they have to deliver it in person? Don't they know that mail exists?" - Marlene Wallace, to Barret Wallace

Barret removed his boots and sat down on the couch. The sun had started to set and he had just gotten off work. He loosened the strap on his arm attachment and let it drop on the cushion. He reached over and moved it to the floor before brushing the dirt from it off the cushions. His secretary would have his head if she caught him getting dirt everywhere. 

No guns. Not anymore. Didn't need them here. Sure, he still kept one around just in case but in the past couple years he'd spent more time oiling and maintaining it than firing it and that was just fine by him. Thankfully Tifa had found his old drill arm in a closet back home which was just perfect for his new job. 

Thanks what he called his own "natural charisma" (and a few strings being pulled), Barret had settled in just fine as the de facto mayor of North Corel. The mines were operational again and a new settlement was beginning to bloom. Hell, they even mostly forgot about the entire "burning down the entire town" thing. 

He settled into the couch and let loose a long sigh before a sharp knock on the door.

"It's open."

The door slowly creaked open to reveal a tall, impeccably dressed man carrying a silver briefcase. He straightened his collar and adjusted his glasses before entering.

Barret shifted his gaze to the door and sighed. "That's far enough, jackass. What do you want?"

"It's pronounced "Rude", jackass. Be a little more grateful." He placed the briefcase on the ground and kicked it across the room, it coming to a halt at Barret's feet.

"Show a little respect in my house. Give it to my secretary." Barret smirked at him and kicked it back across the floor. Rude crouched down and picked the case back up before exchanging stares with Barret. Some things never change.

A few moments of tense silence that felt like hours was suddenly shattered. 

"Daddy, you wanted something?" Marlene rounded the corner and went to jump on the couch next to Barret before she caught sight of Rude. She froze in her tracks. "Uh...what's he doing here......?"

"Don't worry baby girl, he's just doing what he's told. You know, like a dog?" Barret let out a laugh. "Take the case from the man and look it over. Just like last time."

"Yes sir!" Marlene skipped across the room to Rude and took the case from him. Rude's expression didn't change and he didn't move an inch. 

He did take the moment to adjust his sunglasses before leaning up against the wall and checking his phone. "A gift........for your continued support." He paused. "Off the record, you didn't happen to notice anything......odd........ around here lately, have you?

Marlene sat on the couch next to Barret and popped open the briefcase. "Oh yeah? like odd how?"

"I'll take that as a no."

Barret chuckled. "How's Tif-"

"Don't worry. She's fine. So's Aerith. And everyone else. Looks like it's all there to you? I've got other places to be."

Marlene looked up at Barret and nodded her head. "Yeah, secretary says it's okay. You can leave now." 

Rude was already halfway out the door at the word "leave" before the booming voice caught him again. 

"One other thing. Ya'll working on a new airship?"

Smiling, Rude shook his head and adjusted his glasses yet again. "Take that as a no."

Barret looked back at the briefcase. Three hundred thousand gil. He'd only seen so much in one place one other time. Didn't feel wrong taking it this time either. Sure it was Shinra money, but the town needed a new water pump, the miners needed new

equipment, and he promised Cid he'd get to work on clearing a landing area for the Highwind to get supplies in and out easier. With all those projects, it sure as shit wasn't going to come from a bake sale.

A small hand reached over and snapped the case shut in front of him. He looked at Marlene who scrunched her face together before handing him a dustpan and a small broom.

"Daddy, I told you HOW many times?!" her small finger pointing at the dirt on the floor.

"Uh....right away! That was there when I came in. Honest!" 

Marlene rolled her eyes and went back to her room. For a secretary, she sure did have run of the place.

___________________________________________________________________________

Rude made it out of town and back toward Costa Del Sol. The ride was bumpy and unpleasant enough without having to make a phone call.

"Yeah. He saw it. Didn't see enough of it, but it matches with the intel. Looks like there's some truth to it. I'll be back in two days. Yeah. Have it all ready. No. No, don't give him access to that. I don't care if he asked nicely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things might get a little strange from here on out.


	12. Guests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "With all due respect Mr. President, this will revolutionize defense as we all know it. An early warning system the likes of which nobody has ever seen." - Dr. Kadrina Pho, head Shinra researcher

RECORD: SHINRA AI:PANOTTI LISTENING POST NO. [REDACTED]

LOCATION: [REDACTED]

THREAT DETECTED: METEOR EXTINCTION LEVEL EVENT

IMMEDIATE EVALUATION AND SOLUTION REQUIRED

ON [REDACTED] AT 19:34:XX, SENSOR LEVELS PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING:

INCREASE IN GRAVITY PULSE. LEVEL: UNKNOWN.

INCREASE IN MATTER AND NEUTRINO LEVELS: 1.7345x 

SENSOR SPIKED FOR 00:17:42 THEN RETURNED TO ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS. 

This is an <INTERNAL ALERT>. Please consult with SCIENCE AND DEFENSE DIVISIONS. 

Recommended EXECUTE: ORDER: FORTIFY SVALINN. 

RUN COUNTERMEASURE: X-632OO-AI.SUBROUTINE//CONTACT.

STAND BY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION - INTERNAL CONTEXT INDICATION POINT

INTERCEPTED TRANSMISSION FROM UNKNOWN ENTITY, SEGMENT X-OC-24433-G [IDENTIFIERS OMITTED UPON FURTHER EVALUATION] AS FOLLOWS:

IDENTITIES: UNKNOWN, SENSORS INDICATE BETWEEN TWO AND SIX

ID-1?><unintelligible> uh......where are we?

ID-2?>Better question: When are we?

ID-3?>That too. Anything look familiar? All I see is water. Do the instruments still work?

ID-4?>They're a bit haywire but.....looks like it?

ID-1>This is <unintelligible>, right?

ID-3>I'd assume so? I don't think Dr.<static> thought this far ahead.

ID-1>Hold on, let's think about this.

00:01:21 <SILENCE/UNINTELLIGIBLE>

ID-3>"<static> like a coiled spring. Everything goes on top of the spring, you push it down, and when it releases, the spring goes back to normal, but everything on top may or may not. Sometimes it'll get flung off in a bit of a direction.

ID-??>Thanks, Instructor. I almost understood that.

ID-3>Hey <CENSORED>, I don't hear you coming up with any explanations.

ID-1>Calm down. All of you. Looks like there's a place we can land over there. Maybe a settlement. Land on the other side of that range.

ID-??>AWESOME! Let's go check it out!

ID-1>No. You're staying here. We have no idea if they're hostile or what.

ID??-2>Well, if they're hostile, you shoot them. In my experience.

ID-1>Just for that? You're staying too.

ID-1>And <REDACTED> stays because she's the pilot.

ID-4>Tee-hee! No problem. I'll keep an eye on these two. 

ID-1>Okay. Us three will go searching. <REDACTED>, you two head into that town we just passed. I'll keep to the outskirts."

ID-2>Seriously? You're still playing the lone wolf?

ID-1>We'd attract too much attention if we were in a group. Communicators look like they're still working. We'll be fine. The <REDACTED> looks like it's hidden pretty well here. If anything happens-"

ID-??>I'll beat the <EXPLETIVE> out of em!

ID-??-2>I'll blow them away. 

ID-1> No, no, you won't. You get the hell out of here. <EXPLETIVE>, we just defeated <REDACTED>, can we just not fight for two <EXPLETIVE> seconds?

ID-2> Okay, we can do that. And no fighting. Blend in. You got that?

ID-1> <unintelligible> I'll be fine. <REDACTED>, keep an eye on her for me?

ID-2> I can handle myself. Got the wings, remember?

ID-1> I know, that's what I'm worried about.

ID-3> I'll keep an eye on her. If worse comes to worse, we'll be fine.

ID-1> Okay, kill the engines and auxiliary systems. Comms too.

00:46 <SILENCE>

ERROR: FATAL EXCEPTION HAS OCCURRED AT 0056:C22B3940. IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO CONTINUE NORMALLY. PRESS ANY KEY TO ATTEMPT TO CONTINUE

PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE

PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE

PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE

PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE

PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE

PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE

PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE

CONNECTION TO REMOTE TERMINAL FAILED. AI: PANOTTI SIGNOFF AS OF [REDACTED] CURRENT TIME [XX:XX:XX]


	13. In the Meantime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Funny thing about dead stuff on the planet. Doesn't like staying that way sometimes." - Cloud Strife

Reno swung a silver briefcase at his hip as he peered in the window of the bar. "Nobody's here. Say Boss, why we gotta tag along for this?"

Tseng cleared his throat. "Because Reno, it's an order. And you're a Turk." 

"With all due respect, sir, this seems a bit below our skill set."

Reno and Elena kept pace behind Tseng. A few years and the now use of a cane hadn't slowed him down one bit. 

"Consider this a lesson in diplomacy."

"Right, sir. I will take it to heart." 

"Tch.....kissass....." Reno shot off underneath his breath.

The trio walked through the the main road of Edge. The appearance of the three in their suits earned them the side-eye of quite a few of the inhabitants. Still working on trusting them after all this time - probably would take at least another century at this rate. Tseng checked his phone and motioned for his two companions to follow him - maybe another fifteen minute walk. 

"So, what's in the case anyways?" 

Elena sighed. "Reno, if it was important he'd tell us."

"Elena is correct. If anything, Reno, you should be thanking me. I'm practically giving you extra time off."

"Psh, if this was time off I'd be at the Honeyb-OW!" Elena slammed the back of her fist into Reno's ribs. "What was that for?! I'm just being honest."

"And I was too. Now keep quiet."

_____________________________________________________

Aerith sat on the porch overlooking her garden. Thanks to a generous grant, she was able to clean up a large surrounding area from the pollutants and oil that Shinra had dumped for years beneath the plates. And now, it was beginning to bear fruit - the soil wasn't toxic anymore. All sorts of flowers, from geraniums to lily-of-the-valley dotted the area. _Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could top what I had at Elmyra's, s_ he thought. She watched where her and Tifa's daughters were having a tea party, using a tree stump as the table. _Okay, but even without the garden, those two really don't make it a fair comparison._

"I brought us something to drink." Tifa appeared in the doorway to the house carrying a pitcher of iced tea and a pair of glasses. She sat down at a small wooden table Cloud had been nice enough (forced) to make from a repurposed whiskey barrel from the bar. It added a certain charm that had been missing recently. 

Something was on Aerith's mind. She forced a half-smile as Tifa poured her a glass. "Hey Tifa.....remember the whole....you know...." She gestured to her shoulder and make a stabbing motion. 

"I wish I could forget it. Why?"

"When I was out, did I say anything strange? Or after I woke up?"

"Is this about your mom?"

"Y...Yeah. I think she's....." Aerith's voice trailed off as some movement from the fence-line caught her attention. A look of mild shock washed over her face once she could make out who it was. Tifa followed her eyes to spot.

Turks. Three of them. 

"Aerith. Watch the girls. I'll handle this." Tifa grabbed her gloves from the table and slipped them on as she hopped the railing and made a beeline for the gate.

"Wait! Hold on! What are you-" 

Tifa cut her off with a menacing smirk. "Don't want to chip a nail." 

"Nonono! Calm down! Just hang on!" Aerith grabbed her staff that was leaning against the column and jumped the few stairs and dashed over to grab Tifa's arm. "Don't make a scene. Please." 

Tifa could feel Aerith's fingers digging harshly into her bicep. She stopped and took a deep breath, her vision still trained on the three approaching them. "Watch the girls."

"M-Mommy? What's aunt Tifa doing?" The blonde girl looked up as Aerith got between her and the approaching Turks.

"It's okay, Naomi. Just stay behind mommy. You too, Jess." Her voice was exceedingly calm, all things considered. With a flick of her wrist she extended her staff and corralled the two girls close to her. 

"No need for hostilities. I've been looking for you actually, Ms. Lockhart. There's a matter I need to discuss." Tseng's voice was cool and collected as ever.

"Forgive me if I don't buy that." Tifa's knees instinctively bent and she slowly brought her arms forward. "Any of you take another step toward them, I swear-"

"Boss, we're not here to kidnap the kids are we? This is hardly a three person jo-OW! ELENA! What was that for?" Reno's line of questioning was cut short by an elbow to the gut.

"Reno, we're Turks. Not thugs. Act accordingly." Elena said as she straightened her jacket.

A couple more seconds of the tense stand-off felt like forever. Tseng broke the silence.

"Please. We're not in that business anymore. Now, could we speak somewhere a bit more private?"

"Tifa.......Go talk with him. I've known him a long time.....I can tell when he's up to something. I'll stay here with the girls." Aerith relaxed ever so slightly.

"Okay fine. But if **anything** goes wrong, just yell."

"Thank you." Tseng turned to his companions and said in the dryest tone he could muster. "Reno, I have a new assignment for you. Please ensure that these two young ladies have the best tea party ever. Elena, you're supervising." 

"Are you kidding me?!" Reno protested.

"That's an order. And you're a Turk."

"Fucking bullsh--OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" 

Another elbow to the gut from Elena who was desperately trying to stifle her laughter. "Reno, you heard the man."

Along with that elbow was the end of Aerith's staff into the other side of his ribs. "No swearing around the children!"

Tseng followed Tifa up the stairs and into the house. Tifa let him pass into the dining room before shutting the door behind them.

"Do you really have to sit? I don't want you getting comfortable." Tifa's attitude toward the Turks hadn't changed a bit. Still not quite over the whole Sector 7 incident. Not that you could blame her.

"I've been looking for you all morning. Surely you understand a man of my........condition can't be expected to be on his feet all day, do you?" Tseng motioned to his lower abdomen and his leg. Sephiroth nearly killed him at the Temple of the Ancients; being alive after that was nothing short of a miracle, but the lasting damage had been done. "Besides, this gives us something in common."

"Let me make one thing **perfectly** clear. You and I are nothing alike." Tifa was trying to get under Tseng's skin, but he wasn't taking the bait.

Tseng nodded and set the briefcase on the table. "Surely you've been keeping up with the news, haven't you? About the construction accidents on the upper plate?" 

"Bits and pieces."

"Well, between us, those weren't accidents. They were bombings."

"Still doing the cover-up thing? I'm not surprised. But I've been out of that game for years now. What's your point?" Tifa leaned over the back of the chair opposite Tseng. 

"I'm aware you have." He unlocked the briefcase before turning his attention back to Tifa. "However, there's been a development." He motioned to the chair and waited for her to be seated.

Tifa decided to indulge him and sat down, staring across the table at him. "Get to the point." 

Tseng opened the case and spun it around to face Tifa. It's contents: A metal gauntleted glove, a red headband, and a modified Shinra Model S-26 pistol. All the logos removed and replaced. 

Tifa's heart stopped. "You....This is a joke, right? This is some kind of fucking joke."

"I assure you, it's not."

"You could have been sitting on this stuff since the Sector 7 collapse. I have no reason to believe you. Now fucking leave."

"Ms. Lockhart." Tseng sighed and reached into his jacket pocket and produced two photos taken from a Shinra security camera and slid it across the table to her. "Have a look. Taken four days ago."

Tifa looked at the photos. Black and white photos that were grainy, but on them two figures of a man and a woman, no doubt about it. They had their hoods up and had their faces turned away from the camera - they knew the camera was there. They had some training. Tifa paused a moment. "Okay, let's say I believe you. Let's say, that this is true. Why are you here? I had no idea they were fucking alive."

"Let me cut to the chase here - we found the bomb before it went off, but it went off when our bomb disposal squad tried to disarm it. Shinra has two people in the hospital now over this." His eyes trained on Tifa as she got up and walked towards the window. She rested her hands on the sill with such force that her palms went white. "And I shouldn't have to explain to you what we do in these type of situations."

Tifa stared out the window. Aerith and Elena seemed to be having a lovely conversation about something or the other. Then she turned her gaze to her daughter. The small dot of joy she felt over Reno looking absolutely miserable while he was the guest of honor at Jess and Naomi's tea party was completely taken over by all this new information. _I named her after you, you know? To carry on your memory._

"We're not in the business of collapsing plates anymore. However, I have a job to do. How did he put it again? "We're not bad people, we just do bad things sometimes.""

Tifa interrupted him with her voice increasingly hostile. "Make. Your. Point." 

"I've been tasked with stopping them by any means necessary. However, since this is a new world we're building and one of my superiors is a firm believer in second chances - I'm here to offer you a chance to go stop them on your terms. And I also shouldn't have to remind you that second chances like these don't come around very often."

Tifa made her way back to the chair and sat down, staring emptily at the contents. She removed the glove and held it in her hand, thinking back to all the memories she had of Jessie. Her genius expertise. Her penchant for flirting with Cloud. Her cheery upbeat attitude that was nearly sickening. And when her and Cloud found her under the rubble and had said what she thought was their last goodbye. 

"So.......what do you want me do to?" Tifa choked on the words as they came out.

Tseng cracked a smile. "Stop them. You have a week. Otherwise all bets are off. You would, of course, have the backing of us for anything you may need." Tseng rose from his seat and produced a manila envelope from the other pocket of his jacket. "Any and all intel is in there." He leaned over and took the glove from Tifa and placed it neatly back in the briefcase before shutting it and removing it from the table. "I'll be in touch." He straightened his tie and calmly exited the house.

Tifa walked up to the door and watched as he motioned for Elena and Reno to follow. Aerith waved to Elena who smiled back; Naomi and Jess cheerily waved goodbye to Reno, proclaiming him to be the best tea party guest they'd ever had. Tifa herself was ready to collapse and cry. They're.....alive. _Fuck. I need a drink. Or twenty. Good thing I own the bar_. She stumbled out the door and sat on the steps to the porch, trying to piece together what she had just learned. 

"You look like you just saw a ghost." Aerith's emerald eyes were suddenly right in front of her.

"Y...Yeah. Something like that.........Hey, could you wat-"

"You need me to watch Jess for a bit? You got it." Aerith had sat down and put her arm around Tifa's shoulder.

"Just for a week. I'll be back. Promise." Tifa motioned to Jess to come over to her. Once she got close enough, she reached out and snatched her wrist and pulled her in tight. "Mommy loves you so much, okay?" Her voice shook as she held back tears.

"I love you too, Mommy." It took everything Tifa had to not break down in that moment. 

"Jess, why don't you and Naomi go inside and wash your hands before dinner? I'll only be a moment." Aerith, clutch as always. Didn't want Jess to see her mother in tears. 

Jess and Naomi ran off inside the house as Aerith straightened her dress around her knees and wrapped her arm around Tifa. "You go take care of what you need to take care of. But you come back, you hear me?" She pulled Tifa in close as Tifa buried her head into her shoulder and started sobbing. "I'm not going to allow you to let her grow up without a mom. I swear, I'll come down to the Lifestream and pull you out myself if I have to." She planted a small kiss on Tifa's head.

"Yeah. I'll be back. Promise." Tifa wiped her eyes and hugged Aerith. Pulling herself to her feet, she set off toward her place - She had a big day to get ready for. 


	14. Confluence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "See, the problem is, people tend to think of time and space in a two-directional way. The reality of it I believe is much, much more complex." Research notes of Gast Faremis, vol. 14, pg. 97

Ifalna sat on an ornate chair in a gazebo overlooking a white abyss. She'd felt odd tremors lately - not beneath her feet, because there was no actual ground (or chair, or gazebo for that matter), but more gravitational pulses that were pulling at her. She swiped her hand in front of the expanse and it gave way to a view of the oceans and continents of the planet. Like spinning a globe, she moved her view about to where she felt the planet was telling her.

Gast always used to say _"Science and magic are the same thing; one's just been broken down to hard data more than the other."_ She'd smile and nod, but deep down she knew he was pretty much on the mark. See, the planet functioned most like anything else in the world - provide a substantial amount of force at a certain point, and physics takes over and will bend or break it. You know......like a giant meteor falling from the sky. 

What she had been feeling lately however was something......else. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it. Flashes and flutters of something on an other side. Not of the other side of the Lifestream, but running......parallel......to it, she felt. 

Ifalna had been experiencing odd flashes and visions - at first it was unknown and foreign landmasses. Oceans. Continents of snow, forest and desert. Then details started arriving with them. A angled red airship, enormous buildings that flew, to even a gigantic obelisk the size of what seemed to be a mountain, to an entire country that had hidden itself in plain sight.

The most recent one she'd visioned before these pulses was an ornate and large castle, floating above the ground yet bound to it with chains; foreign to the world in which it was anchored. Then....it collapsed. Not inward or outward, but faded from the very plane of existence it was in. 

_"Think of it like throwing a handful of sand at a window versus throwing a rock at the window. They're both made of the same thing and the same amount, but one will do much more than the other."_ She smiled and thought of Gast again. How he'd hold their daughter and explain the mysteries of science and physics to her in the most simplistic metaphors - granted she was barely two weeks old and wouldn't understand either, but it was a memory of happier times. Among the last times he was alive and Aerith had both her parents. 

Meteor had forced the planet to converge such a massive amount of energy and force to repel it that it had weakened the very bonds of space that kept it isolated. The energy and magic required was the "sand", condensed and concentrated to the "rock". That meant space was the "window". And whatever she was seeing was threatening to come spilling on through.

 _This does not bode well._ The Lifestream is a closed system - nothing extra gets added or removed. It just cycles through it's forms. It can't possibly sustain an influx, let alone of this magnitude. She stared at a location far northeast of Midgar, the most remote part of the ocean, and waited. Then, like leaves falling from a tree, she saw it.

Through crackles of lightning, the haze of smoke and fog, the boiling ocean beneath it all. The planet she had seen had begun to overlay itself on Gaia. 

_Shit._ She needed to do something. As the last full blooded Cetra she had a duty as the steward of the planet. What she could manage here was not enough - she needed help from another Ancient. _I can't do this alone. Aerith? Can you hear me?_

_No. No time for that. Needs a more direct approach. How would Gast have put it? "All life comes from the Lifestream. Some of it is just in more of a hurry than others."_

Ifalna summoned every bit of strength and will she could muster. She summoned the power of the Lifestream itself, focusing her sight and intent on a small area outside Midgar. She thought of Gast. She thought of Aerith and how she left her at that train station with a passing woman in hopes she would be safe. Using this emotion as a catalyst and focus, her surroundings fractured and broke as she began to float upwards. White gave way to grey, which gave way to black. She thought of her granddaughter she had yet to meet but seen from her station. And with that, the black gave way to a bright flash of light.

From a formulation of her own memories and the Lifestream, the Cetran was thrust back into the world in physical form. 

An gnarled oak-hewn staff at her side, Ifalna slowly opened her eyes and let them adjust. She felt the grass and dirt beneath her palms, the wind blowing her loose bangs in her face. Rising to her feet, she followed the sound of flowing water to a nearby brook and leaned over to catch her reflection. Her emerald green eyes shown back at her. She touched her face, the exertion to get her here had aged her slightly since her departure over twenty years ago. A simple red dress with a purple shawl wrapped around her waist adorned her figure. _Aerith. We need to speak._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to go a bit further down this road but I'm not entirely sure where it'll end up.


	15. High Plains Drifter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Storm's comin'."

BLAM-BLAM-BLAM-BLAM. 

"Ugh, fuck." Cloud sighed. _Picked a shitty day to not take the bike._

He limped the truck another half mile or so down the road to an isolated mechanic shop. "NEXT FUEL - 50 MILES" was crudely painted on the side facing the road. From the T-intersection, another dirt road ran south toward a couple farms and single row of houses. _Picked a shittier place to break down, it looks like._

Steam began to billow from under the hood as he coasted up next to the pair of gas pumps. A muffled bell rang from inside the shop as the truck came to a halt and a hunched old man slowly opened the door and made his way toward the truck. Cloud was already out and using a spare rag to fan the steam away so he could get a better look at the engine.

"Afternoon, stranger!" The man's excitement far exceed his appearance. "Looks like ya got some engine trouble there. Let me and my boy come have a look at it, would ya?"

"Sure thing. I've got gil." Cloud left the rag on the engine and set off toward a vending machine next to a weathered old bench in front of the store. 50 gil for a cold drink. Fifteen minutes passed with what looked like no progress, so he sat down and stared off at the horizon while the man and his son poked around the engine.

"You from around here?" A voice caught him from his right as another man approached and sat on the opposite side of the bench. 

Cloud didn't acknowledge him at first, instead opting to take another drink. "No. East of here." 

"I'm not from around here. What's east of here?" 

_East of here? It's Midgar. Biggest city in the world. Idiot._ "It's Midgar." _Aerith, you owe me for that._ Cloud felt the man sit down on the bench and turned his attention to him. 

He looked to be as tall as Cloud. Maybe a bit younger. Clad in black pants and boots with a white v-neck t-shirt. Black jacket tossed over his shoulder. Brown hair. Blue eyes. And the most striking feature that caught him was a scar running vertically across his nose, up past his eyebrows. 

Cloud paused for a moment. _Damn, that's a hell of a scar._ "You uh........you do any time?"

"Prison? Once."

"Didn't mean it like that. Military service. You a soldier?"

The man let out a long exhale. "Something like that." 

Cloud nodded. _He's seen some shit_. "Yeah, I'm.....out of that now. Rough life."

"Yeah......Sure is. That.....that yours?" The man pointed to the Buster Sword strapped to the side of the truck box.

"Oh.....Yeah....." _Shit._ "For protection. And it's......it's hard to let go." 

"Always some monster to fight."

"Yeah." Cloud chuckled. "Ain't that the truth."

"So.........what do you do now?" 

"Run a delivery outfit out of the back of a friend's bar. Keeps me busy. You?"

"Haven't figured it out yet. Say, that bar got a name?" 

"Seventh Heaven. You looking for work or......?" Cloud looked over and saw the man punching in some information into his phone. _Damn. Never seen a PHS like that before._

"No. My friends went on ahead, they're probably looking for a place to grab a drink right now." 

The old man approached the pair from across the lot. "Alright, looks like it was just a bad thermostat. Easy fix. 500 gil sound good?"

Cloud reached into his pocket and pulled out 700 gil and placed it in the man's hand. "Here. Take it. That was fast work. Gotta get back home before noon or the wife is gonna kill me." He then looked up at the man. "You need a ride?"

"Yeah. Matter of fact. That alright?" He reached behind the bench and grabbed his sword that was leaning on the corner of the building.

_Damn. Never seen a sword like that before. He really isn't from around here._ "Yeah. Little cramped and the AC isn't fantastic, but it'll get us there." 

The pair walked towards the truck as Cloud circled around the driver's side and got in before unlocking the passenger door. "Sorry, lock's busted." Cloud muttered. 

Before climbing in the truck, the man placed his sword in the back of the truck along side some wood planks and a large teddy bear Cloud had tied down to make sure it wasn't lost in transit. "What's with the te-" 

Cloud cut him off. "It's for my daughter. Been gone awhile, figured I'd get her something. Say, I never got your name......"


	16. Square Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I mean, if you insist. But I guess nobody ever got better at anything by not doing it......" - Tifa Lockhart

Aerith was trying in vain to catch her breath - She'd been fighting for well over an hour now. She felt the sting of sweat that had beaded up and ran down into her eyes, quickly wiping her face on her sleeve as to not leave an opening for her opponent. The sun beating down on the beach of Costa Del Sol didn't help much either. 

She dodged a blow and rolled to the side, taking a wide swing with her staff. It didn't connect, but forced her opponent to move. _Dammit, almost!_

Growing up in the slums was tough. Girl's gotta learn to defend herself lest she be consumed by them - Be it monster, pissed off machinery, ghosts, or some fat slime-ball in charge of the mafia. Despite all this, Aerith had never been actually trained to fight. She was adept in magic, sure, but when it came to using her staff? Blunt end -> face (or groin, depending). Couldn't be more complicated than that, could it?

She felt the wind as the next lunging strike barely missed her. _An opening!_ She spun around and managed to land a fairly clean shot near the kidneys. Grabbing their back, they somersaulted forward and turned around, re-assuming their stance. _Grrr......almost!_

Aerith wasn't going to quit, though. She took another deep breath, knees slightly bent. Staff in front, at the ready. _I'm not going to lose!_

She dashed forward, catching them off-guard. _Bet you weren't expecting that!_ Two quick attacks from either end of her staff that were blocked, but she managed to charge up a quick fire spell that she released point blank. _A-ha! Got you!_

In a split-second, her opponent seemed to vanish from view. She barely had time to register what had happened before she felt a leg sweep hard against the back of her legs, sending her airborne. _No! Dammit!_ Time seemed to slow as she came crashing down to the sand. _Shit, have to recover!_

Maybe Elmyra wasn't totally wrong for worrying about her. Aerith would always tell her she'd be fine, that there was nothing to worry about. Then like clockwork she'd make it home and Elmyra would still be awake and lecture her about how she needs a bodyguard and it's not safe out there and blah-blah-blah - In one ear and out the other. This must have been what she was talking about, though. Delicate flower girl of the slums couldn't even straight up beat a single opponent. 

The sand absorbed most of the impact as Aerith felt her back slam down, her sweaty palms losing the grip on her staff as it bounced and rolled away from her. Arms aching, she rolled over on her stomach and reached out to grab it before feeling pressure on her outstretched hand as a foot came down on it. She closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate. _Dammit......Almost....._

"Tuck your chin." 

"Huh?" Aerith opened her eyes and looked up, locking with the red pair looking back down at her.

"Tuck your chin. If you're going to land on your back, tuck your chin. Otherwise your head is going to hit, and that's a concussion waiting to happen."

"Okay, okay......This is a lot to try and all learn and take in, Tifa. Could you.........maybe take your foot off my hand please?" Aerith asked as she tried to wriggle loose.

"Right, sorry about that." Tifa crouched down and grabbed Aerith around the waist, seizing her and lifting her to her feet in one smooth effortless motion. 

Aerith dusted herself off and looked over Tifa. _Not even a drop of sweat on her. This isn't fair! But I'm not going to give up._ "Okay, best two out of three." She leaned over and grabbed her staff and walked a few steps away before turning around and facing Tifa.

Tifa smirked and rolled her eyes. "You said that nine matches ago."

Aerith looked puzzled for a moment and looked down at her fingers. "Um.....best ten out of nineteen then?"

Tifa poked at the welt developing on her back. "Nope. You know Cloud is going to get suspicious if he sees you with anymore bruises."

"Well how am I supposed to get better if the best teacher in the world won't teach me?!" Aerith's face contorted into a full pout. "And I thought I told you not to hold back!"

Tifa blushed ever so slightly. "You're doing great. I mean, you DID actually manage to land a hit on me this time. So that's an improvement. Besides, everyone else will be back soon and we have to decide on dinner." 

"Next one decides dinner then. You ready?" Aerith made a devilish smile and held her staff, ready to strike.

"Have it your way." In a flash, Tifa was already behind Aerith. Locking her arm around Aerith's left arm and her other around her neck, she jumped up on Aerith's back and cinched her legs around her waist, using her body weight to drag them both down onto the sand. 

"Ow! OW! Okay! You win!" Aerith frantically squirmed as she tried to free herself from Tifa's grasp. 

"Barbecue. Definitely Barbecue."


	17. Yoshiyuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ".........Even though they have shown an unwillingness to follow orders, candidate is recommended for space program." - Excerpt from discharge papers

Cloud took a deep breath and sat down on the bench. It'd only take "a couple minutes", they said. Half an hour ago.

He looked up at the tilted rocket which cast a large shadow over the entire town.

"Somethin', ain't it?" The voice caught him off guard. An old man holding a sword (not so much carrying it as using it to brace himself) stood next to the bench staring up at it.

Cloud humored him. "Yeah. Wow. A big rocket."

"Heh." The old man chuckled. "You eh.....you enlisted?"

"Used to be, if you want to call it that." 

"I was.....I was too. I was there at the end, you know? Right at the end of the first Wutai war. See, I was already past my enlistment window, but Shinra did that whole thing where they do the announcements and run the commercials about how it's your duty to serve and enlist. So I figured, I'm a patriotic guy, why not?"

"........Huh?"

"And er......I was in charge of the 3rd Airborne. And there was this one pilot, right? Real cocky and arrogant kid. Had blonde hair like yours. So this kid was just a real pain in my ass. Didn't like to listen to orders, just in it for the glory and to get out. Thought he was the best damn thing in the sky since we figured out flight."

"That's........nice......?"

"So when the end of the war came and the ceasefire was drawn up, part of the terms was they gave us less than a full day to pack up and leave. But it wasn't just us, you know? It was our troops, the conscripts we'd taken in from Nibelheim, civilians on both sides caught up in the mess. Packed us all onto troop transports and whatever floated and had us pull out. And somehow I find myself on this refueling rig - and these things aren't big at all - maybe about thirty or forty feet long on the deck for the helicopters to land, gas up, and leave. Now you can't really transport stuff on these boats, but we're having these helicopters land, letting them unload, then just pushing them right off the ship and into the ocean. Entire helicopters, just right into the water because we didn't have room for them. Damnedest thing."

"Uh...."

"And there's this woman on board, sobbing. Says she got separated from her son in the evacuation. Just broken to pieces. And I'm on the comms with the CO, who was a real piece of work. Heideggar was this asshole's name. So anyways he's telling me to pull out right now, right? Leave everyone and get back. Says they're not worth saving and we're on a schedule. And this hotshot pilot overhears this order and starts going off and cussing and screaming about every nasty name under the sun."

"........Okay....?"

"So this kid gets real pissed, right? Marches right over to the lady and grabs her by both shoulders and yells at her. Asks her where her and her son were at. She's crying and describing the house and the area of the city. Then he just hops in this tiny recon helicopter we had just landed and leaves. Just like that." 

Cloud opened his mouth to interrupt the man but thought better of it. Hadn't had much luck so far.

"And about an hour or so goes by of helicopters coming in, landing, and us pushing them off the side of the ship. We've got soldiers and civilians packed like sardines and we're starting to pull away because we're full up. So with all the commotion I'd nearly forgot but suddenly over the comms comes this crackling and it's this pilot - I can barely make him out. Says he's running on fumes and to clear a spot. So I radio back and tell him there's no room. Radio goes silent. I look up...and I can see this tiny speck approaching. It gets closer and closer and sure enough, it's this hotshot pilot. He slows his approach and in the cockpit with him is this young boy. Couldn't have been older than five or six years old. So this pilot, he's got no fuel at this point, right? And I just watch him hover there for a moment before tilting the chopper on it's side and he punches the throttle straight ahead and pops the hatch open. Falls about a dozen feet with this boy in his arms and lands on the deck in a roll. The helicopter? Goes straight ahead right into the ocean. Helicopter just rips itself to pieces. Over two tons of steel and parts flying all over."

"........Then what?"

"And somehow this kid and the boy......they.......they make it. Our medic rushes over and this cocky asshole just stands up, dusts himself off and passes the kid off to the mother like it was the most natural thing in the world. All these years later I keep thinking about that. I.....he........how the hell did he do that? I can't wrap my head around it."

"..........Is there a point to this story?"

"When you first got here with your companions, I could tell you put up a real good front. You act like you're in it for you."

"I-I......"

"But I think when push comes to shove, you'd lay it all on the line for them. You'd be able to go to the depths of whatever hell and bring them back. Here, take this. I got it during that war. I've fought my battles, but you look like a man who's still got some to take care of." The man took a long look at the sword and leaned up against the bench Cloud was sitting on. 

"Uh....Thanks....." Cloud's voice trailed off and he stared at the rocket. He remembered the fall, waking up in the church, the plate collapse. Saving Aerith from Shinra HQ, fleeing for their lives, stowing away on a transport and nearly getting killed for their trouble. All the while chasing down the most dangerous man on the planet with the most ragtag group of people you could come up with. But the more he thought about it, the more Cloud understood what the man was telling him. Being a hero wasn't about being the best - It was about making hard decisions and coming through when it mattered.

"Cloud! We're done!" Aerith ran up to the bench, a shopping bag on each arm. "Ooh that's shiny! Where did you get it?"


	18. Briefing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Would it kill you to show a little decorum?"

"Tch.......I'm bored. This is boring. When are we going to get this show on the road?" Reno laid back on the couch tossed an apple he grabbed from the fruit basket on the table next to him up in the air.

"Whenever Tseng gets here. Now pipe down." Elena snatched the apple out of the air as she walked past the couch and took a bite out of it.

"H-Hey! That was mine!" Reno protested.

"And now, it's not." Rude entered the room and passed two envelopes out to each of his fellow Turks. "Tseng will be along shortly."

"Oh, look who decided to join us this time. You got nothing else to do this weekend?" Reno chided him. "And do you seriously need to wear those things inside? It's not like-"

"Reno." Elena interrupted him. "Shut up."

Reno grunted. Then the sound of the door opening and closing again with the arrival of Tseng. Without saying a word he walked to his desk and sat at his computer, the screen glowing to life as he went to work.

"........Boss. What's this job all about?" Reno waved the envelope from the couch in a vain attempt to get his attention. 

Tseng didn't acknowledge him immediately, instead opting to take a drink of coffee. "It's all there. Nothing special."

"Sir, why do you want all three of us to go? It says it's a recon operation. Don't you have other methods for this?" Elena flipped through the packet to double check the details and make sure she hadn't missed anything. 

"Because. It's important." He took another sip of his coffee before going back to his computer.

Rude adjusted his sunglasses and straightened his tie. "Normally I wouldn't care but......she makes a good point. And this isn't an extermination or kidnapping. You just want us to go watch and report back?"

"Mhm." Another sip of coffee. 

"Ughhhhhh......." Reno groaned. "Let me guess. Another one of these stupid lesson missions? I'm still pissed at the last one! That was you just trying to embarass me!"

"Well, it worked. You really need to lighten up, Reno." Elena finished the apple and lobbed it perfectly into the garbage can in the corner of the office.

Tseng looked up from his computer screen and watched Reno. He only had to wait a second for the inevitable facial expression. "No. If we wanted the target taken care of, they'd be taken care of."

Rude slowly raised his hand. "There's nothing about this target that seems special. Height and weight are normal....." He flipped through to the end of the packet and studied the surveillance photos. "And with a scar like that on his face, he sticks out. Not like he's going to be able to hide."

"We're taking precautions. Will you three be able to handle this? Or do I need to go find someone with eyes and half a brain?" He stared at the trio from his desk. This was his favorite part of the job - watching them after all these years together still trying to figure it out.

They exchanged looks and glances before Elena stood up and broke the silence. "Sir. We will carry out the order to the letter." Rude nodded in agreement. 

Tseng's eyes turned to Reno, who was still working his way through the packet. "Reno? Anything to add?"

"Yeah, yeah.....to the letter. I've got one question about this though."

"Go ahead."

"What in the hell is a "gunblade", anyways?"


	19. Long Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Looks like we have some catching up to do, don't you agree?"

BZZ! BZZ! BZZ! BZZ!

A ray of sunlight peered in through a crack in the blinds, hitting Aerith square in the eyes. She curled up in her blankets in response. 

BZZ! BZZ! BZZ! BZZ!

_Okay, okay! No more snooze button._ She reached over, hitting the alarm and stretched out fully in bed. Okay, maybe just a few more fleeting moments of her blankets before getting started.

Aerith yawned and rolled over to face the clock: 7:04 am. Cloud must have gotten an early start today. Early for him, even. She sat herself up in bed and checked her phone - no new messages. Another regular day; not that she minded. After everything she'd been through, she wouldn't take one for granted. 

Rubbing her head, she stood up and tossed the pillows and blankets to resemble something closer to a "made" bed, slipped her dress on that she had left draped over the chair, and started down the stairs to the kitchen. A low squeak from the floorboard almost covered the sound of the doorknob of the next room. 

Setting the coffee maker she grabbed her staff from beside the door and set off into the garden, her footsteps masking the other pair trailing her. She walked to an open patch of grass, feeling the cool dew under her feet and her connection with the earth.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and began her morning routine of practicing her staff techniques.

She'd thought about "why?" portion of this before and on the surface it was kind of silly to her. There was no real reason to keep her form in perfect shape as she was used to. No big evils threatening the planet, the area wasn't the dangerous place that

Sector 5 was for her growing up. Running around with her daughter kept her active as did her flower business. So what was it all for? Narcissism? Was it so ingrained in her that she felt compelled to wake up every morning to continue her practice?

Aerith paused for a moment and looked over at her daughter a dozen or so feet away. Naomi had managed to find a stick roughly proportionate in length and was doing her best to copy her mother's movements. Aerith smiled. _That's why. That makes it worth it._

Aerith would only stop to try and catch glimpses of her daughter before continuing. Watching her for too long would cause Naomi to freeze up a bit in embarrassment. Trying to help her would have a similar effect - even at five years old, if she was going to do this, it would be on her own terms. Occasionally she'd lose her balance and crash into the dirt and Aerith would have to suppress every motherly instinct within her to rush over and dote on her, make sure she was okay.......If only because in those short few moments she was already getting back to her feet and was back trying again.

Stubborn. Just like her parents.

"Naomi, let mommy show you how to keep your balance a bit better." Bending down, Aerith licked her thumb and rubbed a smuge of dirt off her daughter's cheek.

Naomi recoiled away. "Mommm! I can do it........" Her face began to shift into a pout.

Sighing, Aerith finished wiping her cheek. "Okay. I'll watch." She took a step back to give her some space.

Naomi did her best to replicate her mother's stance, making it as far as holding her stick out before stopping. "Um....Mommy? There's a lady." She pointed vaguely towards the fence at the front of the property.

Aerith hadn't noticed. She was too busy paying attention to Naomi. "Okay, you stay here. Mommy will go and talk to the lady." She stood up and turned. "Hello, I'm -"

Her heart stopped. Words failed her. Her emerald eyes widened in shock.

"Hello, Aerith." The woman spoke. "It's been-"

"M...Mom......!? MOM! I......Nghhh........" Aerith crumpled to the ground. Poor girl. The sight alone must have been too much.

"Oh dear. I was afraid this might happen." Ifalna stood over her daughters motionless body. 

"Wha.....What did.......WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY MOMMY?!?!" Naomi's cracking voice pierced Ifalna's thoughts as the girl slowly approached her mother. 

Ifalna crouched down to eye level with Naomi. "I did nothing to her. Naomi, is it?"

"Y.....Yes....." The girl shied away.

Ifalna warmly smiled. "Okay, Naomi. Your mother is just.......how can we put this.......She just suddenly became very, very tired is all. She's sleeping."

"B......But she just woke up........"

"Well, she'll wake up again very very shortly. I'll tell you what - how about you help me with that?" Ifalna took her attention to her daughter's unconscious body. "Your mom would be very happy with you if you helped me, don't you think?" She turned her head to Naomi and watched the young girl nod her head. "Perfect. Could you get the door for me? We should bring her inside." 

Ifalna scooped her arms under Aerith. Sure, she was a lot bigger now than she was twenty-five odd years ago, but physically being able to even touch her daughter again filled her with unimaginable warmth. 

\----------------------------------

Aerith senses began returning to her. The dim light in the living room brought the plain timbers of the ceiling into focus. Her nose could make out coffee and......toast. Definitely toast. What had just happened? She must have been hallucinating or dreaming.

Really have to stop staying up so late. Yeah, that had to be it. 

"Oh good, you're awake. I was getting worried for a moment." Ifalna sat in a chair in front of the couch where Aerith was lying down.

_Okay, still hallucinating._

Ifalna put down her cup on the nearby coffee table then reached out and grabbed Aerith's hand, leaning towards her daughter. She brought it up to her cheek, gently caressing it.

_N...No....this is.......this is the real thing._ "You're......alive.?" Aerith squeaked out.

"Mhm."

"But you....."

"I'm back now." Ifalna picked her cup back up and calmly took another sip of coffee. "I'm sure you have alot of questions."

"Mom...."

"The Lifestream is certainly an odd place, you know-"

"Mom."

"But when you're in there, you're able to sense and see things-"

"MOM."

"What is it, dear?"

"I missed you. Alot." Aerith sat up and choked back tears.

"I missed you too." Ifalna leaned in and hugged her daughter with all the love and emotion that had been pent up since she last was able to.

"Hey!" Naomi walked in from the kitchen, carefully balancing a plate of toast, voice interrupting their moment. "You never told me you had a mommy!"


	20. Tall Tales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every story is true if you believe it.

"Hey Dad, how did you and mom meet?"

"Huh?" Cloud rolled out from under the engine compartment of the truck. "Why? What did your mother tell you?"

"She said you fell out of the sky and landed in her lap."

"That's absurd. We would have both instantly died on impact. Wrench." He extended his hand as his daughter rummaged through a nearby toolbox.

"Yeah.....I guess they hadn't invented phoenix downs yet. It sounded a bit far-fetched anyways. Like that stupid book they're making us read in literature class." The harsh shuffling of metal stopped.

"What one is that?" Cloud asked as he took the wrench from her.

"Loveless."

"Yeah, I never really understood that one." He rolled back under to attend to a particularly stubborn bolt. "I thought you wanted me to teach you how to drive, and instead you're writing biographies?"

"No, Dad. It's a project for school. We're supposed to interview our parents."

"Flower merchant and delivery driver not exciting enough for you?" Cloud teased.

Naomi panicked in embarrassment. "N-No! It's just.....before all that. Mom and aunt Tifa tell me stories. It all sounds like something out of a book." She looked down at a small notepad she kept. "Just sounds really exciting and interesting, and you never talk about it."

"Exciting and interesting sounds great when everything is boring. Once you get it though? You'll want the boring back. Socket." More fishing through the toolbox. "I fell through the roof of the church. Landed square in a patch of her flowers."

Naomi furrowed her brow. "That somehow sounds even more made up." She flipped through her notes some more. "Then mom hired you as a bodyguard......The plate dropped, mom got captured on the orders of this Hojo creep, you all busted in and saved her?"

"Sounds about right." He extended his hand from beneath the truck and motioned for the socket.

"So you know Jess's dad?" 

"Our paths crossed a couple times. I mean, I don't make friends easil-"

"Yeah, mom said that too, see?" She extended the notepad toward an opening by the tire. Cloud could barely make out Aerith's handwriting on the note: **Your father doesn't make friends easily**. Cheeky.

Cloud continued unfazed. "Then we went to Kalm, Junon........stowed away........Chased Sephiroth literally all over the world. Screwdriver." 

"You want the-"

"The one shaped like a plus sign." 

"It sounds so exciting though! Why don't you ever talk about it?"

Cloud's serious tone immediately took over. "I saw........the worst the world had to offer. I nearly lost your mother. All of us barely escaped with our lives. And we did it, and hopefully nobody will ever have to go through that kind of trauma again."

"I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to......."

"Don't worry about it." A hint of lightheartedness returned to Cloud's voice. "So anyways, after all that? We came back, I married your mother, had our honeymoon in Costa Del Sol, and roughly nine months later you showed up."

"Ew. Dad. Gross."

"I thought you wanted to hear the truth?"

Naomi rubbed the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Okay, one more question. Did aunt Tifa really punch a dragon in the face?"

"Tifa punched _a lot_ of stuff in the face."


	21. Hungry Like the Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did you know the human eye can see more shades of green than any other color?

Steel trusses. Tarp fluttering in the wind. Stacks of lumber and drywall. Stacked buckets next to construction equipment. But nobody had showed yet.

Tifa put her binoculars away and checked her watch. 12:41 am. Her perch was a half constructed 3rd floor apartment building, exposed studs and framework with temporary plywood walls. If she didn't know any better, she'd swore they'd built this place for the sole purpose of trying to lure Jessie out to blow it up in an attempt catch her. Then again, she didn't ask for any more intel. Maybe she didn't know any better.

The glow from the city of the Sector 5 plate emanated in the background. Construction of the new sector was moving along at a good clip; people had begun to pick up the fragments of their lives and move on in the years since Meteor. The world was a vast and open place; no longer was living under the unforgiving steel sky a cemented option for people. Many of them had begun moving to the upper plate, the rest (mostly those stuck in their ways) chose to stay, citing their upbringing (plus the occasional nutjob claiming if the sky fell again, they'd be safe) and pride. 

And so, people had begun to move on. However, Jessie hadn't. Still frothing and seething after all this time. _Could I really blame her, though?_

Movement caught her eye some distance out. She pulled out her binoculars again. In the distance, a cloaked and hooded figure strolled undaunted through the site. _That's......that's got to be her._ Tifa descended the stairs and kept her instincts locked on the location where she was looking. The darkness would mask her approach; just had to stay low and quiet. Might be able to get lucky and have the wind or the vehicles from the nearby highway muffle any excess sound. Darting between buildings and cover, she tracked the target as best she could. _Shit. Lost them. Can't be far_. She climbed up to a balcony and crouched low, scanning the area for any movement or noise. _Found you._ She leapt down, rounded the corner. No more than twenty feet away now. Then the voice stopped her dead in her tracks. 

"You're too late. Bomb's planted." Turning around and removing her hood, her expression didn't change. A pistol pointed unflinchingly at Tifa, and not even a hint of the spunky and upbeat Jessie remained.

"I.....I didn't want it to be you." Tifa's voice choked as she looked over the scarred face of her former ally and friend. "You need to stop this. Now."

"You've changed. You've gone soft. And you've forgotten." Jessie looked straight ahead. "And now, you're working for THEM. You fucking traitor."

"N...No. It's not like that. They'll hunt you down and kill you, Jessie. You know that."

"So run away and leave me then. Just like you did all those years ago." 

The words bit hard at Tifa. _Don't let her get in your head._ "No. You're wrong. You're better than this. Please." 

"Am I? Then please - show me. See, you know what your problem always was? You could never rise to the occasion when it was on the line. You stayed and hid behind the bar all the time. Then just up and vanished to Wall Market, and left everyone to die."

"Shut up. Please......Just. Shut. Up." Tifa's fist clenched hard. "Just disarm the bomb and leave with me. Nobody has to get hurt."

"No. Shinra does. They need to hurt and suffer for every bit of pain they've inflicted on me. And you think you can what? Kill me?" Jessie hissed.

Tifa closed her eyes. In a moment, her memories flashed through. Sector Seven. Planning in the secret basement under the pinball machine. Staying up until all hours, drinking away their sorrows together and how they planned on living out their days after they had torn down Shinra tower brick by brick. She remembered the mountains of Nibelheim and Cosmo Canyon, how they had both talked about how beautiful they looked on the television and they had promised to go see them in person when it was all done. Finally, she remembered cradling her newborn daughter in her arms and how she could only think of one name for her. 

_No. I don't think I can kill you. But I know I can stop you._


	22. Compounding Interest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ifalna says I need to come up with better metaphors." - Scribbled within the margins of the Research notes of Gast Faremis, vol. 21, pg. 115

Aerith yawns as she rolls over on the couch. 

"Oh good, you're awake. I was worried for a moment." Ifalna sits at the table in the corner opposite the room, various books and tomes piled around her. Some are open on the table, the rest separated into two piles. The first: A neat pile of books with various colored scraps of paper jutting from from the tops as makeshift bookmarks. 

The second Aerith can't make out, so she squints and allows her sight to adjust. She makes out some kind of letters and symbols on the spines, but she can't understand them. Maybe it's that she just woke up, however, the longer she looks at them they appear to dance and vibrate on the cover as though they want to be read. She then looks at the ones her mother has her attention focused on. _Telluric Scriptures Volumes 15, 16, 17.....? Where'd she get those anyways?_

"Cloud took Naomi to get groceries for dinner. I was going to wake you up, but you just looked so entrenched sleeping there."

Rubbing her eyes, Aerith sat up and straightened her dress. "I was having the strangest dream, you know?"

"Hmm." Ifalna tilts her head a bit. "Was it strange? Or just odd?"

"Uh.....I think I was in the Lifestream, but it was so........dreary. It was foggy too, but there were tiny lights all over the place."

"Mmm." Ifalna nods and takes a sip of tea. "Did I ever tell you that you sometimes drool when you sleep?"

Embarrassed, Aerith quickly wipes her chin with her hand. "A-Anyways! There was this.......thing. Like a.......giant insect? It had wings. Like a butterfly."

"........Oh?" Ifalna diverted a small amount of attention away from her reading.

"Yeah. Then it turned into a cannon. But there was this woman there. She had silver hair and these absolute piercing red eyes. Like, even more than Tifa's. Really intense."

"Where were you during all this?" 

"I don't really know? I was watching it, I guess from behind a screen? It was hard to tell. So anyways, this woman just leaps on top of the thing and cracks it in half with her sword. Just *SWOOSH* and takes it out. " Aerith animates the sword slash with her hands, but Ifalna doesn't notice.

Ifalna graciously sips on her tea again. "On top of this............insect?" 

"Uh huh. She had some friends with her too." Aerith leans back on the couch and stares at the ceiling, mentally reaching out and grasping at the details which have now begun to evaporate. "And something about 'Spirals'? I guess?..........They changed clothes a lot too for whatever reason. Mom, are you even listening?"

The comment doesn't budge Ifalna. "Yes dear. Fog, lights, Giant insect cannon, and you've got a new girl crush. Do you plan on telling Tifa?" a teasing smirk forms on the corner of her lips. 

Exasperated, Aerith rubs the bridge of her nose. "Anyways, what's for dinner?"


	23. Ventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people just don't like to listen.

"C - NEED TO TTYRN ASAP AT BUILDING ON END OF RUNWAY - YUF"

Cid stared puzzled at his flip phone for a moment. "Fucking kids. Where'd they learn to talk like this?" He turns the phone around and sticks it into Shera's field of view.

"I don't know. Can't you see I'm busy doing dishes?" Shera turns off the water to get a better look. "Let's see........Yeah. Looks like Yuffie wants you at the building at the end of the runway. Looks urgent."

"I can fucking see that! I asked you where they learn this shit at."

"And I told you: I don't know." Shera takes a deep breath to calm herself down when the idea hits her. "Don't keep her waiting or she'll probably send you more like it."

Cid glances quick out the window. "Shit, you're right. I better get going. I don't see anything on fire at least." He grabs a couple of licorice whips from a container on the counter before heading out the door.

"Cid, wait! You forgot your flashlight!" Shera yells and chucks it across the kitchen, narrowly missing the door frame and nearly catching Cid in the head before he snaps his hand up to grab it. "Try not to be gone too long, okay?"

Cid was recovering from nearly having his head removed via flashlight. "Y....Yeah. Promise." 

Cid walked down the runway and past the hangars. In the years since Meteor, he'd gone into business as a private pilot and airship manufacturer (Granted he'd built exactly one, but he liked the way it looked on the business card) and he was able to pull a few strings and purchase a large swath of land on the edge of Rocket Town as a playground (He called it that exactly once in front of Shera, who sternly corrected him as she wanted their life savings being sunk into a successful business and not a "playground") which now contained a gigantic hangar for building airship sections and a half dozen smaller ones that he rented out as storage. The one on the far end of the field was where he kept prototypes as well as some other outlandish tech - anomalous parts that glowed, hummed and spun with radiant energy he'd never seen before. Picked them up in a clearing on the west end of the Glacier on a tip from an old friend.

He approached the building on the far end of the field, a solitary light on above the door leading in. A dim glow escapes through the door which was left slightly ajar. Cid entered and could make out a figure, mouth taped shut with their arms and legs bound to a chair placed in the middle of the room.

"Kisaragi and Valentine Security Co., at your service!" Yuffie cocks her head and poses, hand outstretched in a peace sign as her voice clears the air. This annoys Cid, as there's four people in the room thus rendering this outburst entirely pointless. Then again, he'd think it was pointless no matter what.

"No. We don't have a business. There is no partnership here. This was you." Vincent is sitting on a workbench on the side of the room, closely inspecting a pair of daggers.

Cid turns on another light above the group to get a better look at the unfortunate individual bound to the chair. Blonde hair, braids... _She ain't no street urchin_......Definitely a woman. Tiny figure. Clothing leaving little to the imagination. _Who the hell wears a string bikini and a mini-skirt to break into a place? Damn kids these days._ She struggles in the chair but to no avail. Cid looks at the workbench Vincent is sitting on - the entire roll of duct tape that is usually there is all gone. 

Yuffie prances closer and interrupts his inspection. "Yep! Caught her trying to break in. Little runt put up a bit of fight but I took her down. Sooooo what do you want me to do with her? Sleep with the fishes? Six feet under? Ooh! I know! Let's feed her to a Valron!"

"Yuffie." Vincent interrupts her growing excitement. 

"Yes, Vincent?"

"You've been watching too many movies." He flips the daggers around and seems interested in their craftsmanship. Red in color with full hilt, the look of them entirely unfamiliar. 

Cid lets out a long sigh. _Two things I hate: bratty children and thieves. And there's an abundance of both right here._ "I thought you two were just passing through here and needed a place to crash. You fucking realize at best this is a felony, right?" 

"I like to think I was doing you a favor." 

"Alright.......Take the tape off. Let's get to the bottom of this." Cid crouches a bit to lock eyes with the girl in the chair. He pauses, noting her green eyes and unique pupils. 

Yuffie rips the tape off from over the girl's mouth with one fluid motion. 

"Vilgehk! Fryd dra ramm fyc dryd vun?! E teth'd ajah cdaym yhodrehk!" The girl thrashes about in the chair in protest. "E cfayn, uhla so luiceh vehtc uid, oui ymm yna.....Mmmph! Mmmmmph!!" Cid motions for Yuffie to put the tape back over her mouth; he can already feel a headache coming on. 

"Well, I have no fuckin' idea what she just said. Didn't sound like Wutainese to me."

"Nope. It wasn't." Yuffie interjected. 

"Uh, Vincent, you or anything inside you able to translate any of that?"

"Hmmm........I think she's agitated." He holds one of the daggers up to the light, taking in the craftsmanship. 

_Real fuckin' astute conclusion, professor._ Cid takes a bite from the licorice. "For fuck's sake, she's just a goddamn kid. Was this really necessary?" Yuffie stares at her feet in a bit of shame. Never did like getting scolded. "Okay kid, I'm gonna have her take the tape off again, and this time we're gonna talk. Alright?" 

"Mmhmm....." The girl nods her head slowly up and down with a hint of fear and shame. Cid motions to Yuffie who pulls the tape off her mouth again. "Ow.....you know, this is really, really uncalled for! And I'm not a kid! I'm 17. " 

"Uh huh." Unamused, Cid stands up and paces in front of her. "So how'd ya break in?" 

"I'm a thief. And you have something that belongs to us." Nodding her head in the direction of a red steel turbine with a fuel cell peeking from the center. 

Cid thought for a moment and remembered the wreck he found that particular piece at. "So ya tracked it here? Shit, color me impressed." 

"Y-Yeah! I told you I was a master thief! That's one of the power supplies for our airship. It's broken down and can't fly without it, so if you'd just let me nab that from you I could be on my way and......"

Yuffie interrupted. "Urgh! You can't seriously buy that story, can you? She's just a thief! And look how she's dressed! This is clearly a scam. One hundred percent, scam."

"Well, of all the buildings here, she knew exactly what one to get into. You yourself tracked her since she got here." Vincent set the daggers down next to him on the bench. "I think she's telling the truth."

"Yeah, I'm gonna side with Vincent on this one." Cid finishes off his licorice and pulls another from his pocket. "Say, you got funny eyes, kid. You ain't one of them SOLDIER types, are ya?"

"Soldier? No. I'm a thief! And I'm not a kid!" 

Cid chuckled to himself. "Alright, alright. I'll go fire up the Bronco, and I'll give you a lift back to your airship and get it fixed. I'd like to see what that powers." He turned his back and began to exit. "Yuffie, could ya cut her loose? And say you're sorry."

Yuffie pouted. 

"So let me get this straight." Vincent's monotone voice caught Yuffie's attention. "She's a thief, dresses oddly, clearly has no idea what she's dealing with and got in over her head......"

".....And?"

"You always told me you were an only child."

Yuffie furrowed her brow for a only moment before she cracked. "Cid! CID!" She sprinted out the door. "YOU MISSED IT! VINCENT JUST MADE A JOKE! CID! GET BACK HERE!"


	24. Eleison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Through the darkness of the night.

Jessie was dead. She was sure of it. She'd armed the bomb on a timer and went toe-to-toe with the greatest martial artist she'd ever known. Got hit with a focused strike square in the chest for her troubles, then it all faded to black. 

She could feel herself floating through the darkness with a low hum that must be the planet. Remembering the plate collapse years prior, it all felt familiar. Only her sheer stubborn force of will brought her back that time. This time was slightly different though - she could hear rumblings, felt a gentle rhythm of her body swaying, and smelled the scent of hibiscus shampoo - the same brand that Tifa always used.

Wait. Hold on. Back up. What was that last thing? 

That acknowledgement jerked her awake, her chin resting on Tifa's shoulder. "Wh....What....Where am I?" 

"You're not dead." Tifa answered, carrying Jessie piggyback.

Jessie shifted slightly, throwing Tifa's limping walk off a bit. "Y....You.....You should have left me back there." She weakly managed to get out before a coughing fit overtook her, pain shooting through her ribs and chest.

Tifa steadied herself before moving closer to the wall of the train tracks. Putting her arm out to balance, she lowered her body to set Jessie down, then collapsed to her knees. Catching her breath, she turned around and sat down next to Jessie, looking out eastward from the train platform at the horizon. 

"I wasn't going to leave you back there." Tifa undid a makeshift bandage she had fashioned from scraps of Jessie's cloak and checked the wounds on her right calf. She had picked out as much shrapnel as possible and the bleeding had slowed. Her right arm and shoulder had also sustained what looked like fairly serious wounds.

Reflexively, Jessie looked at her own right leg. Her prosthetic was gone. 

"I....I'm sorry, Jessie. It got lost in the blast. I had to get you out of there before anyone showed up." Tifa poked at her leg and winced. "I'll.....get you a new one, okay?" Her breathing was becoming heavier; even wounded and carrying Jessie out she hadn't stopped for a second. Exhaustion was beginning to set in.

"Tifa..........I'm.....I'm sorry." Jessie broke down. "This is all my fault. I.......I've hurt so many people......I hated you...........what was the fucking point!?" 

"Shh." Tifa interrupted, extending a finger and gently placed it over Jessie's lips. "Sun's coming up." She pointed to the horizon. 

Jessie couldn't find anymore words to express her anger and disgust with herself. She saw the sun shafts and rays appear, piercing through the beams and struts of the train platform. "I....You know.....in all the time I've lived here? I don't think I've ever watched the sunrise."

"Yeah It's.....It's beautiful......" Distracted, Tifa thumbs over her phone leaving a bloody print on the screen before slipping in back in her pocket. "Jessie, you're going to be okay, you hear me?........We'll get you help. You're going to be okay." 

Jessie's emotions were beginning to overwhelm her. Anger rose in her voice. "Did you ever think that maybe I don't deserve to be okay?! That maybe I'm fucked up beyond repair?" She screamed in frustration. "AAUGH! YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST LEFT ME TO-"

Tifa turned over and gripped Jessie's shoulders, crying. "Don't say it. Please......don't say it. For years I thought you were gone, and now I find out you're still alive and......" She pleaded. "I've lost too much for one lifetime. I can't do this again. Please?" 

Tears welled up in Jessie's eyes as a memory flooded back to her. The truth was she had seen that face once before, while she was buried under the wreckage of the pillar, but her own stupid anger and hatred had blocked it out. Despite how twisted and scarred Jessie was, she only saw the noblest intentions when she looked in the mirror - And yet here, one of the objects of her grudges had not only saved her life, but wanted to give her another chance. Not just at friendship, but at life itself.

They both watched the sunrise. Tifa pulled herself to her feet before using what's left of her strength to pull Jessie up and onto her back again. "Come on. There's someone I want you to meet."


	25. Longshot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing happens until you pull the trigger.

Cloud laid on his stomach, surveying the clearing from a cliff overlook through a pair of binoculars. "550.......600 yards. Wind southwest at 12." He quickly set the binoculars down and plugged his ears.

"Shot out." 

KA-PHOOM! 

Cloud blinked and shook his head as the concussion from the rifle fogged his brain. He looked down the binoculars again; where a Tonadu once existed was now a fine red mist and a mangled corpse.

"That's three." Vincent said, rolling onto his side and sitting up. 

"That would have went faster if we just marched on down there." Cloud sat up, annoyed. "Sephiroth is at the crater. Every second counts."

"Mmm......" Vincent paused. "Soon." 

"Soon? There's a giant meteor right fucking there." Cloud pointed to a small red dot in the sky. Seeing it in the daylight unnerved him.

"Those people are archeologists, Cloud. Not fighters. Those monsters have been harassing them for weeks."

"But three Tonadu? Any single one of us could have handled that. Even Cait Sith." He tossed the binoculars back to Vincent. "So you want to tell me why you brought me along for this?"

Vincent placed the binoculars in a satchel and stared out into the distance. "When Tifa and you fell into the Lifestream, what did you see?"

Cloud hesitated. "I saw......my past. Fragments of it. My childhood."

Vincent paused. "Did you see anybody?" 

"Well, Tifa was there. Aerith was there too, but I couldn't see her.....but I knew she was there."

"Hmm....." Vincent was starting to descend into a thought.

"Did you try asking Aerith about this? She said she went there too. Said she talked to her mother. I don't see what-"

Vincent's cold tone cut him off. "You entered the Lifestream physically. Aerith nearly died. Her spirit was there. Two different scenarios."

"Is this about Lucrecia?" Cloud jabbed. Vincent turned his head in Cloud's direction causing the latter to swallow hard. "Sorry. I didn't mean-"

"I don't think she's dead. Aerith told me as much when we visited the cave. She.....she was encased in crystal. I don't know if she's on this side or the other side. Perhaps somewhere in between." 

Cloud looked at Vincent in a way he'd never seen. Despite his matter-of-fact tone, the man looked.....vulnerable. "Hey.....when we're done with all this-"

Vincent interrupted. "That's a solid offer, but......." He took a deep breath. "I wouldn't know where to begin. Maybe she can't leave. Maybe she's the only one who knows how to leave. Maybe it's better she's in there."

"I don't think-"

"Maybe I haven't atoned enough yet. Maybe.....Maybe it's just fate."

Cloud was becoming ever so slightly annoyed. "Or maybe you're overthinking all this. Plenty of time to figure that out once there's not a giant meteor falling."

For a moment, it appeared as though the corner of Vincent's mouth turned into something resembling a smile. "You're right. Thanks." _I think I just wanted someone who would listen._


	26. It's Complicated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rock we all push.

Tifa peered out through the shades at the front window of the bar. Her eyes darted up and down the street to make sure nothing seemed out of place. The regular faces mulled down the street, some people on bikes wove in and out of the sidewalk as they dodged pedestrian foot traffic on their way into town. Once she was satisfied, she closed the shade and doubled checked the "closed" sign at the door. All good. Double checked the latch on the door for good measure. No unwanted guests. 

She hobbled over behind the bar and reached up to a shelf and felt around for a moment before producing a bottle of whiskey. Gongaga 86 Proof - not the strongest stuff, but goes down smooth with a light aftertaste. She nabs a couple glasses and glances over to two gloved fingers tapping on the bar. Throwing a pair of ice cubes in each glass, she steadied her hand and poured two doubles before sliding one down the bar and having a seat at an old stool she kept behind the counter.

"So." The clarity in Rude's voice cut through the dust in the air and the hum of the refrigeration unit on the other side of the wall. "We need to talk." 

Tifa avoided the eye contact. She knew what was coming next. "Let me guess. She's pissed at me." She rubbed the bandages on her arm. They smelled of antiseptic and ran from her shoulder all the way down to her wrist.

"You could say that. I don't think I've ever seen her that upset." Rude sipped his drink and set it back down on the table.

"I figured. She could have healed me back up but instead she just wrapped me in tape and brought me back here. That's how I know she's mad. She wants me to sit and think about what I did."

"I don't blame her. Cloud was upset too. Haven't seen him that worked up in quite some time." 

"It's not really in his emotional range." Tifa's hand trembled as she went to pick up her glass.

"I'm upset. Really fucking upset." Rude turned his head to face Tifa, his gaze even under his sunglasses felt like it was drilling a hole in her skull. "You nearly left Jess without her mother."

Immediately on the defensive, Tifa quickly took a drink to calm her nerves. That's where this was all heading. "........And every time you leave on a work trip, you don't think you might leave her without her father?"

Rude looked back at his glass. "This isn't about me. What you did was reckless. Extremely reckless."

"Listen, I'm not going to debate this-"

Rude held his hand up from the counter to quiet her protest. "I had Tseng fill me in. Look; Not my monkeys. Not my circus. But don't ever fucking do something like that again." He took another drink.

"You want that in writing? Because I just spent the last two days saving my friend's life who I thought was dead. If I didn't, your boss would have turned this entire city on it's head to get her. And don't pretend like you wouldn't do the same for Reno or Elena."

"Jess was crying, Tifa. Uncontrollably. Crying about **you**." Rude paused to adjust himself on the stool. "No kid should ever see their parent like that."

The words bit hard. "Look, Aerith said she made sure Jess wouldn't see, but she must have heard me and came running out the door. You know she doesn't like to listen."

"Where do you think she learned that?" Rude leaned back in his chair for a moment before the harshness of what he said sunk in. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." 

Tifa let out a long drawn out sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I...I just want her to have a normal life. I know it'd never work between us but.......I want her to have both of us there for her. My mom died when I was young, and my dad......was taken from me. I feel like missed out on so much, you know?" She looked at Rude hoping for some agreement.

He turned and looked at her. "........You think if my parents had a healthy relationship I'd be in this line of work? I'm winging this whole "being a dad" thing."

Tifa continued. "Then I found out Jessie was still alive.......it just upended everything. I wanted her back. It was all I could think about. I've just lost so much in my life and this felt like a chance to fix it, I know it was selfi-"

Realization set in as Tifa's face went flush. Wasn't the alcohol this time, either. She took a long drink and buried her face in her arms for a moment. "A...are we bad parents?"

"Ignoring the part where it's a weekday morning and we're hiding in your bar drinking? I don't know. I like to think we have good intentions." Rude went silent as he finished his drink and watched the ice cubes swirl in the glass. "She adores you, Tifa. You're a great mother."

Tifa relaxed a bit on hearing that. "Thanks......but don't sell yourself short here. She loves spending time with you too. You caught that letter from the daycare, right? What she did to that boy bullying Naomi? She didn't learn that move from me. That one was all you." 

Rude smiled. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." His stoic expression returned. "Although I'm not sure how much I approve of her hanging out here, though." 

"You sure? Last girl that spent lots of time here? Heard she's a mayor's secretary now."

"Heh. And you know, eventually Jessie is going to find out I'm her father. How do you think that's going to go?"

Tifa's groaned and rubbed her temples. "Ugh.....yeah......we'll ease into that. But........she's changed. I'm sure of it." She finished her drink and the pair sat in silence for a few moments before being cut off by a ringtone. 

"Yeah. It's me. Well, I don't see how screaming about it is going to make it any better. Okay. Uh-huh. I'll swing by in a bit." Rude popped his phone back into his pocket before getting up and putting his glass in the sink behind the bar. "Have to bounce. Work stuff."

Tifa followed him to the back door of the bar. "Rude, I'm......I'm sorry. I'll smooth everything over."

Rude reached for the door before stopping himself. "I know you will. Say, did Jess tell you what she wanted for her birthday?"

"No."

"She wants to have dinner. As a family. I told her to ask you first."

Tifa's eyes widened in surprise if only for a moment before deflecting. "I'll........I'll check my schedule. See if we can't work something out."

"Alright. Let me know. Until next time." Rude straightened his tie and made his way out the back door before hopping a low fence and disappearing into the alley. 

Tifa shut the door and went back behind the bar, snagging the bottle off the counter and taking a mouthful straight from it before shoving it up on the back end of the shelf. She opened her phone and selected the first contact on the list. Her thumbs carefully made their way across the screen: _Hey, I'm sorry....._


	27. Planetary Protector

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She gets kinda scary when she's mad." - Statement taken from REDACTED

Aerith stared out at the corpses littering the field. She hadn't gotten there in time. All the eviscerated limbs and guts strewn about made her seethe. If only she had gotten here sooner, maybe she could have prevented this massacre. She knelt down and said a small prayer before heaving herself to her feet and dusting off her dress. Feeling a deep anguish over the losses, she angrily trudged back across the field and through the door. She worked her way through each room.

"Cloud. Staff. Now." Anger was fading; clarity remained.

Cloud was sitting on the couch, half reading and half hiding behind an open newspaper. "Did you check the kitchen?"

"Cloud. I can see you're sitting on it. Give it here." Aerith's face scrunched in a pout. 

He finds this adorable, but knows better than to say that right now. "Why do you need it?"

"Those damn hedgehogs got in my flowers. Again." She motions with her hand to hand him the staff. The phrase "or else" seems attached to the gesture. Her eyes tell a tale of committing genocide to the point of forever altering their evolutionary path.

"Listen, Aerith, I......" He pauses for a moment as he looks her over before his eyes come to a stop on her stomach. "........Not while you're six months pregnant."

Aerith puts her hands on her hips, in full pout mode. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself. I'm not about to pop just yet, you know."

"I'm not saying you're aren't, but......" He sighs, sits up on the couch and scoots over to make room for her. "Sit down, I'll go take care of it."

Aerith collapses onto the couch as her expression unravels. Sure, she's feisty and independent as they come, but him treating her like she's glass absolutely makes her melt and summons such a range of emotion that she has to check herself at times that she doesn't start crying. After all, it's nothing short of a miracle she was able to conceive - Between her nearly dying and the final battle with Sephiroth, it had put such an immense strain on her body.......and the SOLDIER experiments that Cloud had to endure? Him being sterile seemed like a given. (Yuffie also tried to explain it to her as a metaphor using some car seat belts one time, but all it received from Aerith was a polite yet dismissive nod because it was far from accurate, however Yuffie seemed so sure of herself that she didn't want to rain on her parade.) She delicately runs her hands over her bump, awestruck at the miracle inside her.

Cloud hands her a blanket and an extra pillow from the nearby chair and heads for the door, his sword propped up next to it.

"Hey, Cloud?" Aerith interrupts him before his hand turns the knob. 

"Hmm?"

"Could you get me some ice cream while you're gone?" 

"We just ate. Can't you just-" He stops himself, knowing full well this is an argument he won't win, and knows that Aerith knows he won't say no. 

She burrows herself under the blanket and closes her eyes. "Mmmm.....I'm thinking strawberry."


	28. Known Unknowns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sir, this system has the ability to organize data and calculate responses quicker than humans. It also relies completely on the supplied data and equations; removing any emotional input. As per your request. - Dr. Kadrina Pho, head Shinra researcher

RECORD: SHINRA AI:PANOTTI LISTENING POST NO. [REDACTED]

LOCATION: NORTHERN CONTINENT: [REDACTED]

THREAT DETECTED: CATEGORY 2 THREAT - ENEMY COMBATANTS + VIP # 255/0/0-13

ON [REDACTED] AT XX:XX:XX, SENSOR LEVELS INDICATED:

VIP#255/0/0-13 ENGAGED IN COMBAT WITH 3 UNKNOWN COMBATANTS. TRANSMISSION FROM RAY UNIT AS FOLLOWS:

<GUNSHOTS>

ID??-2> Doesn't look like any <unintelligible> I've ever seen. You okay?

ID??-4> Yeah.....I'm fine.....whatever that thing is, it hurts like hell. Watch my back while I figure something out.

ID??-2> Where the hell is <REDACTED>?

<GUNSHOTS>

<VIP#255/0/0-13> Cease this foolishness now. 

<ID??-4> Holy....It talked? I mean.....talked really well. 

<ID??-2> That's great, how do we stop it?

<ID??-4> Just a bit longer........

BROADCAST INTERRUPTED, ATTEMPTING TO RECONNECT........

DATA PROCESSING.........SOLUTION(S) FOUND: RECOMMEND ASSETS: TURK-0171R, TURK-4517R, TURK-3137E

SUBMITTING REQUEST............ERROR: REQUEST DENIED. ASSETS CURRENTLY IN ROUTE TO <LOCATION OMITTED>. PLEASE CONTACT ADMIN FOR ACCESS TO DATA FILE.

BROADCAST UNIT RECONNECTED - ESTABLISHING FEED

FEED REESTABLISHED. 

<GUNSHOTS>

<ID??-4> Booyaka! Take this! 

SENSORS INDICATE INCREASE IN NEUTRINO LEVELS: AMOUNT UNKNOWN. 

SENSORS INDICATE INCREASE IN POLLEN LEVELS: AMOUNT UNKNOWN.

SENSORS INDICATE INCREASE IN VEGETATION LEVELS: AMOUNT UNKNOWN. 

00:24 <SILENCE>

<ID??-2> <REDACTED>, That was a bit overkill, don't you think?

<ID??-4> Nah........well, maybe......?

<VIP#255/0/0-13> Neat trick. 

<ID??-2> <EXPLETIVE>

<ID??-4> What in the <EXPLETIVE>

<VIP#255/0/0-13> Enough. Let's talk. Away from any prying ears.

<ID??-2> Huh? It's just us here. 

<VIP#255/0/0-13> Not quite. <howls>

ERROR: CONNECTION WITH RAY UNIT LOST. ATTEMPTING TO RECONNECT......ATTEMPT FAILED. 

REQUESTING DISPATCH OF ALTERNATE RAY UNIT.....REQUEST SUBMITTED. 

CURRENT EVALUATION OF EVENTS ONGOING

RECOMMENDED ACTION: EXECUTE ORDER: DORNROSCHEN.

SUGGESTED DURATION WILL VARY BY CALCULATIONS AND SUCCESSFUL EVALUATION AND PREVIOUS REQUEST.

AI: PANOTTI SIGNOFF AS OF [REDACTED] CURRENT TIME [XX:XX:XX]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah I'm kinda dogshit about writing in case you haven't noticed and decided to write like 4 different things at once whoops


	29. The Bad Part of a Good Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quite similar, but very different.

Tifa ran her eyes at the paperwork haphazardly scattered about the bartop as she took a sip of her coffee. It's her least favorite part of the job - Permits, vendor invoices, tax documents, utility bills - see, it's not the rowdy drunks or late night/early morning combinations; she can deal with those easy enough. Paperwork? Can't punch that away. 

Well, hold on. There's generally a solution for everything that involves very specific amounts of physical violence. This, however? Not one of those things. 

She rubbed the bridge of her nose and flipped through a stack of invoices and labelled them all "paid" before moving onto the next pile. Her ears perked up at the sound of a key in the door; the clicking of the knob turning following by the gentle jingling of the bell above the entrance.

"Hey Tifa! Just thought I'd drop by for a bit!" Aerith carefully dodged her way around the tables and chairs before making her way behind the bar. She's fully concentrated on not dropping a giant stack of containers she's carrying, barely reaching her eyes and giving her little room for error. 

Tifa looked up from her work. "Hey Aerith.......Where are the girls at? I thought you were watching them."

"Hang on, just a second....." Aerith scooted to the fridge and gingerly opened the door and in one motion shoved all the containers in as best she could, nearly losing a couple on the floor but managed to catch them before they fell. "Whew. Okay. Sorry, Cloud went grocery shopping again. The way he buys food you'd swear meteor was falling again and we were living in a bunker. Had to cook it all up before it went bad."

"Uh.....Thanks." Tifa raised an eyebrow at the cartoonish amount of food that's now in her fridge. Not that she's not grateful for the food , nor is it Aerith isn't a great cook, but a refrigerator in a bar is for alcohol. Alcohol that is sold to pay bills. To be fair, even if Aerith was a bad cook, Tifa would never tell her. "So about our children......"

"Oh, Yuffie is watching them. She just showed up this morning and volunteered to watch them for me while I stopped over. Seemed kinda spooked about something. Weird, right?" 

Tifa dropped her pen down and looked over Aerith on the other side of the bar. "Aerith. You know I think the world of Yuffie. But do you _r_ _eally_ think it's a good idea to have a former materia thief watching our very young and impressionable kids?"

"Huh? What do you mean, "former"?" Aerith said with a hint of confusion. 

"Ughhh...." Tifa groaned. She closed her eyes and vigorously rubbed the bridge of her nose. _This woman is going to be the death of me._

Aerith let out a chuckle and slinked out from behind the bar. Making her way behind Tifa, she locked her arms around Tifa's waist and rested her chin on her shoulder, eyeing the paperwork strewn across bar. "Hmmmm....." She pondered.

"Hmm?" Tifa raised her head and turned toward Aerith. Her scent of flowers was more intoxicating to her personally than anything she sold here. 

"I think......" Aerith paused a moment. "I think.......you need to lighten up a bit. Make some more friends."

Ouch. Harsh. Fair, but harsh. 

Tifa rotated around on her stool, gently allowing Aerith to shift her grip. "I have plenty of friends, thank you very much. I have you, Cloud, Barrett, Cid, Yuffie, Nanaki, Vincent........Jessie's back. She even took me to see Biggs the other day. Plenty of regulars here.....I'm fine, really."

"Nah." Aerith's emerald eyes brightened up. "I just don't think it's fair for someone to not know you."

Tifa smiled and blushed considerably, jabbing her fingers playfully into Aerith's ribs. "Hey now. We all can't be the princess of the Sector 5 slums." 

"H-Hey! I didn't choose that title. It's not my fault I'm so perfect!" Aerith giggled. "I'm just saying. It wouldn't kill you to get out some more."

Tifa sighed. She knew Aerith always had the best of intentions. "I stay plenty busy between Jess and the bar. I'm fine." 

Their interaction was cut short by the bell above the entrance jingling again - two young women carefully entered the bar. The one was a woman slightly taller than Tifa herself, her blonde hair tied up in the back with two long segments falling on either part of her face, blue eyes burning with a hard intensity. A salmon colored vest and skirt adorned her frame, being completed by black pants and brown boots. 

The other woman was shorter, her black hair reaching down past her shoulder with caramel highlights in front. There was a startling contrast between her pale skin tone and outfit - black top, shorts, and boots - only offset by the blue knit arm warmers and knit duster. 

Tifa instinctively sized up both women. Apparently the jingling of the bell wasn't just that either - the blonde had what appeared to be a chain at her hip. She turned her attention back to Aerith. "You forgot to lock the do-"

It was no use. Tifa stopped herself when she looked at the pure amount of bliss on Aerith's face, immediately knowing what gears were turning in that lovely head of hers. _Dammit. I said, I don't need more friends._

Aerith sprinted across the floor to them, absolutely beaming. "Hello! I'm Aerith, and this is Tifa. Welcome to Seventh Heaven! Best establishment in town!"

"Sorry, but we don't open until 6." Tifa interrupted. "We'll be open then if you're still around." 

Aerith turned her head back to Tifa and shot her a glare than might have outright killed a lesser person. Looks like it was full speed ahead on the whole "making new friends" thing. She whirled back around to the two women before turning on her full charm.

"What Tifa meant to say was to have a seat. I just brought a bunch of food over! You must be starving. So, what are your names?" Her excitement was palpable. 

"I'm Rino.....Rin." The black haired woman glanced up at the other before settling. "And this is Qui.....Quin." The blonde woman scarcely rolled her eyes as the other shrugged, Aerith too giddy to notice.

*Uh huh*. Tifa approached the pair, focusing on the smaller of the two. "Say, where you two from? Sector 3?" 

"N-no....We're from out of town. Just passing through. My........boyfriend.......texted me and recommended this place." 

"Out of town? Like Kalm? or Junon?" Tifa pressed harder. She could practically smell the bullshit. Unfortunely, her usual partner in crime was too extatic over the coincidental luck that had quite literally shown up on the doorstep.

The blonde took a small step forward, putting some space between Tifa and her companion. "Just west of here." 

_Too bad there's an ocean there. Wrong answer._ Tifa turned her attention to the woman. "Listen. Let's cut the shit. If you're here to rob me? I have no money." She subtly motioned with her hand for Aerith to back away. "Besides. You want a fight? Picked the wrong place. Now, I'll say it again - We're not open. Please. Leave." 

"T-Tifa.." Aerith was finally beginning to snap out of her episode. "Now, lets all calm down a bit, shall we?"

The brunette sighed. "Okay, okay...........look. My name is Rinoa; That's Quistis. And this is going to sound crazy, but......" she raised her hands toward Tifa in what she thought was just regular gesturing and......

Big mistake. 

In the blink of an eye, Tifa had already snatched her wrists and spun her around, wrenching her arm hard behind her back and applying just enough pressure to not snap it. "I told you-"

"Tifa! Stop!" Aerith rushed to her side in an attempt to break the two of them up. Unfortunately the next thing she knew was a chain snapping hard around her wrist and dragging her in the opposite direction. Another solid yank and she found herself bound up and unable to move, Quistis's arm cinched snugly around her neck.

Quistis bemoaned their current predicament. Strict orders to keep the princess safe and all. "Dammit, Rinoa. I knew this was all a bad idea. We should have just stayed put."

Tifa's eyes widened. "Tch......Let her go. Now. Or you're getting this one back in two pieces."

"Better idea. You let her go, and you get your friend back in one piece. Deal?" If only for a moment, Tifa swore Quistis's eyes glowed even more intense than they were.

"Nnnngh.......Tifa.......let her go.....please......" Aerith squirmed and struggled but couldn't break free.

Tifa didn't lessen the pressure on Rinoa's arm, but seeing Aerith in duress distracted her for only a moment.

Big mistake. On par with the last one, easily.

In a radiant burst, two wings materialized of pure light on Rinoa's back, the force blasting Tifa back hard into a table and onto the floor. The shockwave rocked the entire bar, the sound of glass bottles and windows rattling permeated the bar. 

It was enough to make Quistis flinch, however, and Aerith used this opportunity to lunge at Rinoa. Placing her palms on the girl's temples, a glow emitted from the materia orb on her bangle and in another flash, the wings were gone. Tifa shook the cobwebs loose from her head and tried to fathom what she had just witnessed, stumbling her way over toward Aerith who was already pulling Rinoa to her feet.

"Wh....What the hell was that?" _Where did Aerith learn that trick?_ Tifa braced herself against a stool and waited for the room to stop moving.

Rinoa dusted herself off and looked to make sure Quistis was okay. "I said this was going to sound crazy, but....."

Aerith interjected. "Crazy? I was the very last descendant of my people up until not too long ago. Tifa here? She punches literal gods in the face. You'd be surprised." She pulled out a couple chairs from a table and motioned for Quistis and Rinoa to sit before making her way back to the fridge and pulling out some food. "I think we all got off on the wrong foot here. Let's all try this again. I'm Aerith. That's Tifa. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Rinoa and Quistis exchanged bemused glances.

Crazy indeed. 


	30. Greased Lightning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Active imaginations and all that.

_The rain assaulted the window next to my desk. Neon lights from the street below radiated through the bars covering the window, casting a shadow on the uniform I kept hanging on my wall. I was the best damn detective the had on the force, but their sense of justice didn't jive with me. Branded me a loose cannon who only lived on the edge and played by my own rules. This is Midgar, there ain't no rules._

_Midgar is a disgusting, soulless place - but don't take my word for it. People come here with dreams and intentions, just the fluffy bits in an otherwise dreary and uncaring world and try to make it. But this city will ruin you if you're not careful. Hell, sometimes even if you are. You want to talk a fall from grace? Doesn't happen the way you think. It ain't metaphorical. Starts on the upper plate and ends in the slums._

_The acrid smell of smoke hung in my office. I've been meaning to kick it down to a one pack a day habit, but this latest case took it's toll on me. Here, people turn up dead all the time. It's not shocking. The only shocking part is when one of these people actually have someone who cares about them. Too many nameless and faceless people returning to the Lifestream and nobody to mourn them. Now I ain't a firm believer in all of that, but I know for a fact it's a damn shame when someone gets rubbed out. They were someone's child. Or parent. Or friend._

_I grabbed one of the pictures from the case file. Stabbed and left for dead in an alley. I asked around the area and she had no enemies to speak of - she was a damn flower girl. Sold them for a gil a piece - ruled out robbery. Said her boyfriend never came back from the war. I mean, I heard of people dyin' of a broken heart and all, but it sure as shit don't manifest as a stab wound years after the fact._

_I hear the knob on the door to my office rattle as the silhouette of a woman manifests on the other side of the frosted glass. Broad didn't even bother to knock. Walks right into my office like she owns the damn place._

_"Evenin', sugar." She produces a cigarette and a matchbook from her purse. "You got anything new for me?"_

_"Lockhart. You didn't tell me you were swinging by."_

_She lights up the cigarette and at least for tonight she has the decency to blow the smoke away from me. "Aw hun, that ain't the way to talk to customers."_

_Any other evening having this voluptuous beauty showing up at your door meant you might be in for a good time if she didn't feel like killing you. Black hair, black dress, black heels. Probably got a black heart underneath those D cups. "When I find a lead I'll tell you. Told you that yesterday. And the day before."_

_"Uh huh." The dull clack of her heels on my wood floor fills my ears and she paces in front of my desk. "This one's important to me. Don't let me down."_

_"You threatenin' me? These things take time. Any rumors popping up at that speakeasy you run?"_

_"Sorry, hun. Must have had something in my ears tonight." I can see that grin forming on the corner of her mouth. The kind that says "piss off" with seven fewer letters._

_I shuffled through a couple documents next to the photos. "The name "Sephiroth" mean anything to you? Tall, silver hair."_

_Moment I mentioned that name, she paused and snuffed out her cigarette in my ashtray._

_"Had a guy like that roll through town three days back. Quiet. Sat at the corner of the bar. Shit tipper."_

_"I ain't coming up with much on this girl. He's looking pretty good for it."_

_"Call one of those contacts of yours on the force. Have them run a background check."_

_Damn that woman. Trying to run my investigation. "Highwind's an asshole, and Valentine's a captain. He's got bigger fish to fry in this town than some flower girl turning up in an alley."_

_She leans over my desk and puts her finger on my chin, raising my head from my work to lock eyes with her. "Listen to me Kisaragi. You came highly recommended. Don't make me regret this."_

\------------------------------------------------------------

"Yuffie, what are you writing?" Vincent's cold monotone shuddered through her.

She spun around and clutched her notebook and pen to her chest. "N-NOTHING! NOTHING AT ALL!" 

He leaned against a tree as composed as ever. "You've been writing nothing for the last hour?" 

"YEPNOPEnothingnothingatall!" she spat out and tried to regain her composure. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not nice to sneak up on people?!"

"Yes, a very long time ago. But I wasn't sneaking up on you."

Yuffie stomped her feet. "UGHHHH! YOU SO WERE!" 

Completely unaffected by her outburst, Vincent pushed himself off the tree and walked past Yuffie. "Come on. Cid said we're leaving for Mideel. Says Cloud washed up there. Tifa and Aerith are with him."

Yuffie dropped her facade. "R-Really? He's alive? They're all okay?"

"Appears that way." 

"WOO-HOO!" She pumped her fist and leapt in the air and sprinted to catch up with Vincent.

"Yuffie, I'm flattered. A captain?" 

Her face proceeded to turn every hue of red known to man and quite possibly a few that weren't. "OHMIGAWD Y-YOU WERE SNEAKING UP ON ME!"

Yuffie hastily opened her notebook again and took her pen and quickly scribbled at the bottom of the margin.

_Unfortunately, Captain Valentine was a jerk........_


	31. Outsider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For when you've waited long enough.

Vincent entered the cave, his cloak blocking the few shafts of light that managed to beam their way through the waterfall. 

How many times had he done this? Hundreds? A thousand? It was impossible to actually know.

But Vincent knew. Eleven hundred and forty-three. He counted and remembered every single one. Each time he'd come in and drop his guns and whatever small amount of things he carried back in his pack next to a makeshift campsite he'd carved out and then go kneel at the base of the crystal. 

Like him, Lucrecia hadn't aged a day. Also like him, it appeared she had no say in the matter. As far as he was concerned, he was more experiment than human at this point. Hojo had used him as a test subject and implanted Chaos within him. The years since had been an internal battle to keep it in check only made possible by the Protomateria that Lucrecia had implanted within him - a fight he couldn't lose but also couldn't win. A miserable stalemate if there ever was one. 

But what about Lucrecia? What was she anymore? Suspended in a crystal, unable to interact with anything? Could it be that the crystal was nothing more than sarcophagus - holding a facsimile of his beloved as some way of taunting him for his failure to protect her?

No. _That can't be true. I got out of my coffin. You can get out of yours._

Though he never showed it, The years he'd spent since he awakened from his slumber had worn away at him like waves over the coast, gently eroding him. It was so gradual and gentle that it was oddly comforting in a way, like he was being gently laid down. That it was okay. That's the way it was. 

No. _That's not true. I can't let that be true. For your sake, Lucrecia._

He'd spent many a night alone staring at campfires, dwelling on this fact. His body didn't seem to age; his figured mind would go long before that. He wasn't going to allow himself to degenerate and be consumed. Not for her sake. She'd fix him. 

No. _I don't deserve to be fixed. I've spent so long trying to atone. I failed you._

He cared not for cultists, monsters, or demons. Not for whatever dwelled inside him. Not for whatever anomalies he'd heard rumors of appearing. He cared for Lucrecia. He cared for his friends. He cared.

Yes. _But they showed me. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith. Yuffie, Cid, Barret. Nanaki. That I do care. I care for this world, because you're in it._

He looked down at the gauntlet on his left arm. Meticulously constructed Shinra tech from mythril and silver - magical metals that kept the arm grafted to him suppressed. A reminder that even with all the guilt, he's still capable. He survives. He endures.

Yes. _Lucrecia. Please. You don't have to feel guilty anymore._

He brought himself to his feet and ran his human fingers across the surface of the crystal. Smooth and perfect to the touch. Just as she was. He swore he could still hear her voice telling him how sorry she was.

Yes. _I'm sorry too._

He looked up at her face; frozen in time. Her brown hair pulled up into a ribbon he had gave her ages ago. A white shroud adorned her body. Wearing the same necklace he'd playfully tug on when he would sneak up behind her as his means of flirting with her. 

Enough. _No more sins. No more punishment. No more guilt. For either of us._

With that he reached out with his left arm, piercing his finger through the exterior of the crystal. The gauntlet thrummed as he forced his hand up to his wrist, widening the opening he created. 

With his right arm, he gripped opening he'd just created.

With both arms, he tore the crystal asunder. Shattered fragments of it like diamonds rained onto the floor of the cave. Lucrecia fell out of her prison, her body falling to the ground. 

Vincent was there to catch her. The weight of her frail body was almost ethereal in his arms. He cradled her as he felt a semblance of warmth and a faint pulse. He'd hold her like this forever if he had to. 

Minutes passed. Then hours. This time he stopped keeping track. It had no meaning to him now as she was in his arms. 

Lucrecia slowly opened her eyes. "Vincent, I......." She turned her eyes to the destroyed crystal and back to the face of her beloved. "I missed you, Vincent." 


	32. False Advertising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A scenic getaway.

To Tifa, all the posters she'd seen of the place didn't do it justice. Not necessarily in a good way.

It was gaudy and tacky even for a tourist trap, but it was also the only place open to get a stiff drink at this hour. After all, saving the crown princess from the clutches of Don Corneo should come with at least one perk, right?

She hunched over the bar and swirled the melting ice cubes in the bottom of the glass. Yuffie was back at her place recovering (physically she was fine, but the fact of having Corneo lay his hands on her made her only think of soaking in a tub of hot bleach for at least a week), Aerith and Red had volunteered to go make sure she didn't get into anymore trouble, Cloud, Cid, Barrett, and Vincent were back at the inn talking "strategy" which for some reason involved stopping off at a liquor store before hand. Cait Sith's location was anyone's guess.

However, she was fine with it. She needed some time alone. Not a few months prior, she'd been living in her small apartment in Sector 7 doing the bartending/part time freedom fighter gig. In the time frame since then however, she'd managed to infiltrate Shinra HQ, make a grand escape, run for her life, stow away on a boat, run some more, get thrown in North Corel prison, get out of that mess, return to Nibelheim, have a series of other run-ins and close calls that at this point just seemed to run together in her head, and somehow spit her out on the other side of the world in this very moment at some bar she'd only seen flyers of posted at the train station back home.

On her first drink before began to sink in: She'd never actually stopped to take it in. It'd been nonstop the entire time and she felt it grating on her. 

Her second drink she had hoped would try and erase the image of Corneo plummeting off the cliff and watching that marbled sack of shit splat on the rocks below. As a martial artist she was familiar enough with what happens when you apply specific amounts of force to the body, but terminal velocity didn't seem to give fuck all about that.

As she was about to ask for her third, she was interrupted by the bell above the door. Rude slipped his way through the door and locked it behind him before making his way to the bar and sitting a couple stools away from Tifa.

"Gongaga 86. On the rocks." He said as he tapped two fingers on the bar. He waited for the bartender to finish pouring two glasses before pausing for a moment and taking a drink. He slid the other one to Tifa. "It.....It gets easier, you know. But you always remember the first time."

 _Guess our truce is still good. For the time being, anyways._ Tifa blinked and shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"I was maybe 13 or 14. Street urchin. I was bounced around from foster family to foster family and just ran away one day." Rude took another drink. "And one day I'm in this alley, and this guy followed me in. Started screaming about how he knew I'd robbed him a couple days before. How I was going to pay for it."

_Yeah, and? You Shinra fucks dropped a plate on my fucking house. On my fucking friends. On my fucking life._

"So he comes at me with a knife, and we scuffle. Drag the fight out of the alley. I get the knife away from and throw it away. Then he yells at me and lunges at me. You know what happened next?"

"What happened." Tifa replied, mostly disinterested.

"Adrenaline was pumping. Wasn't really aware of my surroundings. I dodged him and grabbed his shirt and with his momentum threw him as hard as I could. He stumbles out of the alley and into the road to regain his footing and right as he turns around, a cement mixer comes barreling down the road. Right into him."

Tifa's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. Rude's demeanor had softened. "Wow, that's....."

"Yeah. Looked a lot like Corneo." Rude finished his drink and tapped his fingers again on the bar for a refill. 

"Why are you telling me this exactly?" Tifa swiveled on her stool to face him. "What's your point?"

"Corneo was a piece of shit. But that image is going to stick with you."

"You know what else is going to stick with me? Detaching the plate and dropping it on Sector 7. That's going to fucking stick with me." Tifa could feel the anger rising in her. 

"Sticks with me too." Rude's eyes shifted beneath his sunglasses to make sure the bartender was far enough away before whispering hard under his breath. "Between us? Shinra controlled the narrative. We took our time and made a scene to buy the residents some time. The Public Security division grossly inflated the casualty numbers."

She slammed her fist on the table. "You could have said no!" 

Rude sighed. "This.....this isn't that kind of job. I don't get that option. Not the kind of job you get to retire from." He paused and turned to Tifa. "You've got every right to hate me and I don't blame you but........everything's always more complicated than you know. World's changing."

Tifa took a deep breath to center herself. He wasn't wrong. And in spite of who he was and his employer, she couldn't help but feel some form of empathy for him. Maybe he didn't have a choice. Like a train that could only go where the rails took it.  
Her concentration was broken by the chirping of Rude's PHS. 

"Yeah.......uh huh.....alright. No, we're still on vacation. No. Three days. If it's that big of a deal, call Reno. See if he wants to. Okay. Yeah, you too." Rude hung up and shook his head before finishing his drink. 

"So.......heading out then?" Tifa inquired. 

"Yeah. Back to Midgar."

"Our ceasefire still good?"

"I don't see why not." Rude produced a small notepad and a pen from his pocket before scribbling on it and passing it to Tifa. "It's my PHS number. I like keeping a back channel open in case of.....unforeseen circumstances. If you come across anything, let me know. Something tells me we're going to be on the same side sooner than later."

Tifa stared at the note. His handwriting was impeccable. "Y-You want my number or.....?"

Rude held his hand up as he went to leave. "No need. We're Shinra." 

Tifa blinked and watched Rude exit the bar before shoving the note into her pocket. With how crazy things had been, she couldn't exactly write off the possibility of working with them again. She looked back to the drink sitting on the bar and eyed it for a moment before placing the glass to her lips. 

She took a drink. Not too strong, smooth. With a light aftertaste. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, had writers block. And by writers block, I mean playing video games because I have zero self control.


	33. Next-Gen Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe try leveling up a bit.

"Eek!" Dropping her stick, Naomi let out a shrill yelp as Jess yanked her arm and caused them both to tumble into the bushes.

"Shh! Quiet!" Jess spat out, placing her hand over Naomi's mouth to keep her from protesting. She pointed out through a break in the bushes. "Shh. Look. Monster."

Naomi looked out past the fence-line. Sure enough, there was a monster. A large crimson, sinewy beast that skulked it's way along the road opposite the fence. She gasped. She'd never actually seen a monster. Sure, she'd seen pictures in books and heard tales from her mother and Tifa, but this? Nothing like this.

"I-I'm gonna go tell Daddy and Mommy." Her voice trembled as she brushed the leaves and grass off her dress. "Come on." 

As she went to leave, she felt Jess's grip tighten around her arm. "No." Jess shook her head. "That's a big monster! What if it gets to them and my mom?! It'll eat them!"

Naomi bit at her bottom lip and looked again through the bushes. It was getting closer. 

"We........we gotta save them." Jess's eyes transfixed on the monster showed not even a hint of fear. 

"B-but...."

"No. No buts. We can do this." Jess reached out and grabbed the stick Naomi was carrying with her off the ground and set it in her hands. "Okay. I'm gonna get his attention, then you-"

Naomi balled her dress up in her hands. "Jess, I dunno-"

Jess shook her head furiously. "We can do this. Doesn't your mom and dad tell you all those stories about them beating up monsters?"

"Yeah, but......."

Jess cut her off. "And they were so awesome about it!" she exclaimed, flexing and clenching her fist. "They beat up SO MANY monsters. It's just one. We can beat up one monster."

"You think so?" Naomi's eyes lifted to Jess's. 

Jess nodded. "Mhm. And when we do, they're gonna so happy!"

Naomi lit up at that comment and nodded in agreement. "Okay so....what do we do?"

"You do that fire thing."

"Mommy says I can't. She'll get mad at me."

"Hmm......Okay. I'm gonna run at him, you go around behind him and smack him!" Jess swung her hands like she was swinging an invisible bat. "There's no way he'd still be alive after that!"

Naomi tightened the grip on the stick. "Okay!"

Jess took a breath. "On the count of three. One......two.....three! HYYAAAAAAA!" both girls let out a loud cry and jumped from the bushes at the monster. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

A distant and barely audible shout caused Cloud to stand up from the porch swing he shared with Aerith and walked to the railing. "So uh.......Did either of you mention to the girls that Nanaki was coming by today?" He shifted his gaze to Tifa first. 

Tifa looked up from a martial arts magazine she was thumbing through. "Uh.....I thought Aerith did."

Cloud turned his attention to Aerith who was engrossed in one of the tomes her mother had gotten. "Aerith? Did you?"

A short pause before Aerith placed her finger near the bottom of the page to keep her place. "Hmm.......I didn't think it was a big deal. Why do you ask?" 

Cloud groaned. "N-No reason......" He grabbed a newspaper off a nearby table and sat back down, hiding behind it. "This one's all you." 

Aerith shrugged. She was about to go back to reading before she was interrupted.

"D-DADDYYYYY!!!! MOMMY!!!!!" Naomi sprinted up the path to the porch and up the stairs, launching herself into Cloud's lap. "M-M-MONSTER!!! THERE'S A MONSTER!!!" Her hair ribbon and one of her shoes was missing, as well as copious amounts of grass and dirt stains marked her dress.

Cloud rolled his eyes and looked to Aerith who was absolutely not helping. He sighed under his breath. "Okay, calm down honey. Tell us what happened."

Naomi sniffed back some tears as Aerith reached over to uncouple Naomi's grasp on Cloud's shirt. "Jess and I were playing over by the fence and she saw a monster and she wanted to fight it because she said it was gonna eat you but I wanted to come get you and-"

Aerith interrupted her, licking her thumb to wipe off a dirt stain on Naomi's face. "Your father is right. Take a deep breath."

Naomi took a deep breath before continuing. "Jess said that we could fight the monster because there was one of it and two of us. It was big and scary. But you and dad are really strong and I was gonna get you but Jess wanted to fight and I didn't want her to get hurt."

Aerith picked some grass clippings from Naomi's hair and brushed it aside. "Then what happened?"

"J-Jess made a plan and we attacked the monster......." Her voice trailed off.

Tifa interjected. "That was very brave of you, Naomi. Wasn't it, Cloud?" She shot a nudging glance.

"Uh......Y-Yeah. Your aunt Tifa is right. It was very brave of you, but.......next time you should come get one of us if you feel like you're in danger."

Naomi's eyes lit up with pride over the praise being lavished on her. 

Tifa looked out past the railing at the red form approaching the porch. "But, Naomi, I have to ask you......Where's Jess at right now?" 

The question shook Naomi out of her bliss. Tears welled up in her eyes again. "T-t-the....THE MONSTER GOT HER!! WAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" She sobbed, burying her face into Aerith's shoulder.

Aerith, Cloud, and Tifa exchanged knowing looks before Aerith soothed her daughter. "I'm sure Jess is fine. She's strong, just like you, okay?"

Just then, Nanaki strode his way up the few stairs on the porch, largely unbothered by his current situation. 

"YOU! STAY! AWAY! FROM! MY! MOMMY!" Jess shouted as she clung to his back, raining down blows with fists no bigger than the size of plums. "RRRAAAHHH!!!" 

Nanaki stopped near Tifa's feet and with a shrug unceremoniously deposited the young girl at her feet. "I believe this one is yours. Did Yuffie put them up to this?"

"Yes, that's Jess. And no, she didn't. I'm *so* sorry." Tifa apologized before scooping her daughter up into her lap. 

"No, no, I'll take some of the blame. It's been a few years. I don't think I've visited since they were quite young. They wouldn't remember me." Nanaki sniffed and looked at Jess, who's demeanor had gone from brave to not-so-much in the short time frame.

"G-GAH! THE M-MONSTER CAN TALK!?" Jess exclaimed before it earned her a swat on the back of the head from Tifa.

"Jess, that's a terrible thing to say. Nanaki is a friend. He's not a monster."

"B-But....."

Cloud spoke up. "Your mom is right, Jess. Just because he looks different from us doesn't mean he's bad. We've told you about him before, remember? We met him at the Shinra Tower."

Aerith scooted Naomi off her lap and onto the bench between her and Cloud. "I guess we never told you what he looks like. Not that it matters."

Nanaki delighted at the remark. "I must say, they certainly are your children. They're quite........" He looked at both Tifa and Aerith, searching for a palatable word. "......spirited." He then shifted his gaze to Naomi. "Aerith, her ribbon and missing shoe are probably over by the bushes."

"Thank you, Nanaki. Naomi? Do you have anything say?"

"S...Sorry Mr. Nanaki." 

"Good. Now lets go find your missing things. Nanaki here has to discuss some things with your father." Aerith took her daughter by the hand and they set off towards the bushes by the fence-line. 

Tifa stood up and took Jess by the hand. "And I'll take her inside and get her cleaned up. Jess? Say you're sorry." 

"I'm sorry......" The girl squeaked out, partially hiding her face behind her mother's leg.

The pair made their way inside as Jess began to contemplate. There was Nanaki. Uncle Cloud with his giant sword. Aunt Aerith who can cast magic. The eccentric lady named Ifalna who showed up one day saying she's Aerith's mom. That loud man with the mechanical arm. The scary one who dresses in all red and black. The self-proclaimed best ninja in all the world. The angry guy who flew planes and would cause Tifa to plug Jess's ears whenever he talked. All the men in suits that would drop by now and then. Not to mention the new woman with the whip and the other one who apparently had angel wings.

"Hey mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"You got some weird friends."

Tifa paused before kneeling down, locking eyes and placing her hands on Jess's shoulders. "No. Mom has the _best_ friends."


	34. Responsibles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Road trip.

The din of the engine buzzed through Yuffie's head as she pressed it against the glass canopy of the Tiny Bronco. Well, it's just the "Bronco" now if you ask Cid. He managed to retrofit and rework the entire thing so it comfortably holds three passengers now. Of course, "comfortable" is a relative term and "holds three" means at least two of them are sitting down buckled into seats and not clinging to dear life from the wings. 

She's sitting in the back behind their newfound acquaintance - some meretricious bandit she caught trying to break in to Cid's place. Cid had decided to take pity on her for whatever reason, and Yuffie's option were to either go with him or hang back with Vincent.

She can think of an numerically imperceptible amount of things that would be more boring than hanging out with Vincent. 

But Vincent? She doesn't blame him, though. Not because he spent decades taking a nap when when he could have been doing something - she considers him a dear friend. Anyone who puts up with her nonsense deserves that moniker. What she doesn't understand is his devotion to a woman who's encased in crystal with no ETA on leaving. This devotion to a woman who's clearly set in her ways. But he's immortal and she's not going anywhere! Why not take the time and get out more! There's a whole world out there but to him, his whole world is her. Yuffie finds it commendable on some level, but if it were her? She'd have moved on some time ago. Because of this, Vincent is wrong.

And Cid? Cid is a man of science. Not luck, not magic, not feelings. He stared down monsters, gods, saw the Lifestream, and surprisingly sat through Bugenhagen's tedious presentations about how the world needed to be saved without falling asleep. He took it all in, and man of science that Cid was, the first thing he did after Meteor was just......go back to his old life. Back to Rocket Town (sans the rocket), back to his house, back to Shera. The man builds planes and airships! He could go anywhere at anytime he wanted, yet he's content with living in the same world he knows. Cid is wrong.

However, she can relate to Nanaki. Well, somewhat at least. He's still a brat, but after Bugenhagen's passing he took up the mantle as the leader of Cosmo Canyon. Yuffie won't admit it, but she keeps tabs on him and tries to glean any information about this "responsibility" and "leadership" she's heard so much about. After all, she's the heir to the Wutai throne! Figures she best pick up a trick or two outside of "do the opposite of anything her dad would do". But the thing she doesn't get is that Nanaki could very well be the last of his race on the planet. Why would he shackle himself to a leadership role like that when the very extinction of his race is right there in front of him? He shouldn't be there; he should be roaming the world looking for a mate. Is he waiting for them to find him? Nanaki is wrong. He shouldn't be tied down like that. 

She loves Tifa to death. But there's a small pang inside her when she thinks back to their plans post-Meteor. Yuffie didn't want part ownership of the bar, she wanted to float the idea of her, Tifa, and Aerith forming a team of "requisition acquisition specialists" (She never would have bit if she said "thief"), as Tifa would have been the perfect partner in crime. She could kick SO MUCH ass, attractive to boot........But then she had to go and sink that idea in a single moment of heated passion with that bald suit and his terrible sunglasses! Tifa is young! Strong! Attractive! Prime of her life! And yet, she went right back to opening a bar and is doing the mom thing now to an absolutely spunky (and impressionable) daughter. She thinks Tifa messed up. Tifa is wrong. 

Aerith is the big sister she never had but always wanted. She's loving and kind, but has a devious streak and snark that's a mile wide if you see it. Aerith could have gotten in on the ground floor of the whole thief group thing (As a silent partner. The original idea was to have her in charge of the books, but once Yuffie had gotten wind of how much she sold flowers for, profit margins looked bleak. Also, paying a bodyguard in dates? Who does that? Seriously.), but her and Cloud had hit it off so well that she wanted to settle down. Got married, had a (precious) daughter. She tied herself down! She is the nicest, most wholesome person on the planet, but Aerith? Aerith is wrong. 

Cloud? Cloud is wrong. Cloud rides a motorcycle around all day! It's a terrible medium for delivering packages. And he's gone so much! Sure, he provides for his family, but Aerith and Naomi deserve better. He should be home every night for them and answering to their every whim. They deserve it, if for no other reason than she still thinks Cloud is cold and emotionally distant, and that won't change. But Aerith is happy. So she stays out of it.

Barrett is now the mayor of North Corel. He was such a boisterous force of nature when they were saving the planet. Now? He's completely content with trying to turn around a derelict town that once hated his guts. The world still needs saving outside of that hole in the ground. And the world is far more appreciative of his efforts than North Corel. North Corel is also financed by Shinra now - the same Shinra he wanted to take down brick by brick. Taking their money? Yuffie thinks Barrett is a bit of a hypocrite for this. Barrett is wrong.

Barrett takes the money from Reeve. The Shinra spy who was in their midst the whole time. (Yuffie says she was completely aware of it the all along, and merely kept up an act to try and figure out what he was up to. Yuffie is wrong.) And now he's trying to right wrongs with his position inside Shinra. He had years to do the right thing! Lots of bad things happened in that time that you could argue should be placed squarely on him. But yet, he works himself ragged trying to fix things now. If he was smart, he would have just retired and gotten out of the way. But Reeve is a fool, and only a fool believes he can solve the world's problems. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try." He says. Reeve? Reeve is wrong.

But you see, Yuffie is right. Yuffie believes that being content in life is boring and stagnant; something she never wants for herself. She's going to be the greatest thief and ninja the world has ever seen (well, not seen. Because she's a ninja, of course.) Parents will tell their children of her exploits and adventures as bedtime stories (once she decides to write it all down. She's written things before, you know), people will look her name up on Shinrapedia and marvel at the well cited feats she's accomplished and Yuffie will be a legend the world over.

A spot of turbulence shakes Yuffie out of her reflection for a moment as Cid's voice bellows above the vibration and noise of the plane. "Hey, you two didn't doze off did you? We're almost to the spot our new thief told us about." Yuffie looks out the window. The landmasses look unfamiliar.

However, deep down? Deep down, Yuffie knows she's wrong. 

She could steal every piece of materia in the world. 

Succeed at every heist and caper her imagination could come up with. 

Go down as the most legendary thief and ninja in history.

And yet? She's not even sure it'd be enough for her.


End file.
